Rainbow Fentanyl
Rainbow fentanyl is a brightly colored form of illicit fentanyl, raising concerns about its appeal to young people. It is just as potent and deadly as regular fentanyl.
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What Is Rainbow Fentanyl?
Rainbow fentanyl the common name for brightly-colored fentanyl, which is produced illegally as street drugs. Notably, rainbow fentanyl isn’t any different from regular street fentanyl; it is not more potent and does not contain anything different, it is just colored to make it look more “fun” and appealing to users.
Just like regular fentanyl, rainbow fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, It carries a very high risk of causing dependence and substance use disorder (SUD).
Rainbow fentanyl comes in multiple forms, most commonly including pills, powder, and blocks that look a lot like sidewalk chalk.
Regular, prescription fentanyl—the kind your doctor might prescribe after a major surgery or for severe pain—can appear as pills, patches, liquids, or lozenges (which looks like a cough drop). The illegal drug version of fentanyl, when not dyed, may show up as liquid, fake pills, or white powder.
Dangers of Rainbow Fentanyl
The dangers of rainbow fentanyl are the same dangers of regular fentanyl. It is an extremely potent opioid with a strong chance of causing health problems, addiction, and deadly overdoses.
Rainbow fentanyl or otherwise, any type of this drug is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, making it one of the potent and most addictive substances on the market.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 150 people die each day from fentanyl and other synthetic opioid-related drug overdoses. Many experts consider fentanyl the deadliest drug threat in the entire U.S.
Drug cartels and dealers also use fentanyl as a cutting agent for other illicit drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamines, which continues to cause additional overdoses by drug users who wouldn’t normally abuse fentanyl or notice its effects until it’s too late.
Should Parents Be Worried?
Yes and no. There is some debate about whether or not rainbow fentanyl is made specifically to target young people.
The rainbow fentanyl debate seems to become most prevalent around Halloween, as concerned parents begin to share articles and news segments on social media about strangers trying to get kids “hooked” on drugs like fentanyl by making them “look like candy.”
And while a 2022 article by the DEA indicates a strong likelihood that rainbow fentanyl is being marketed towards a younger audience, drug experts aren’t convinced that this means they’re trying to target kids.
Assuming a drug dealer wanted to “get people hooked” on their product, there are several reasons why this strategy wouldn’t work on a kid:
- Fentanyl is extremely potent and it takes just a small amount for a grown adult to overdose. A drug dealer wouldn’t waste a product with an unknown amount in a “potential customer” that is more than likely going to die from the amount they were given.
- Fentanyl is expensive, and it’s extremely unlikely that a kid in the trick-or-treating age group has the funds to support a drug habit.
- Hiding the drug or disguising it as a candy doesn’t guarantee a return customer. In the imaginary scenario of a drug dealer “planting” candy-looking fentanyl in a Halloween basket caused an addiction, there’s no way the child would know which house it came from.
So why the bright colors and candy-like appearance?
Experts like Dr. Sheila Vakharia, research head at the Drug Policy Alliance, explain that drug cartels and traffickers design colors, shapes, and stamps on rainbow fentanyl to distinguish their products from others.
And while the bright colors may be more appealing to users than plain white powder, the average illicit drug user isn’t going to be lured in because the drugs look pretty. A drug user will use fentanyl if they want to get high on fentanyl regardless of what it looks like.
The biggest takeaway is this: rainbow fentanyl is just as dangerous as regular fentanyl and likely does not pose a more significant threat to young people compared to any other form of fentanyl.
One Pill Can Kill
“One Pill Can Kill” is a fentanyl awareness campaign centered around the dangers of fake pills.
Disguised as opioids, benzodiazepines, and other prescription drugs users want to abuse for the high, these fake pills are often cut with fentanyl to increase the potential user experience and increase the chances users will get hooked.
However, the problem is that these drug traffickers aren’t qualified chemists; many of these counterfeit pills contain unsafe or even lethal doses of fentanyl. Likewise, many drug users aren’t aware that these pills contain fentanyl at all.
In 2023 alone, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized 62 million counterfeit pills. Of the fake pills taken, they found 7 out of every 10 contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.
As fentanyl overdose deaths continue to climb, the DEA aims to combat these unnecessary deaths through the One Pill Can Kill campaign. The goal is to educate people about the very high risk that it can only take one of these fake pills to cause a deadly overdose.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rainbow Fentanyl
What is rainbow fentanyl?
Rainbow fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that comes in the form of colorful tablets that look like candy. It may also appear as colorful powder or blocks resembling sidewalk chalk.
Rainbow fentanyl is just as potent and dangerous as regular fentanyl.
Why is it called rainbow fentanyl?
Rainbow fentanyl gets its name from the bright colors that it comes in. Regular fentanyl is generally white or colorless.
How does rainbow fentanyl compare to other forms of fentanyl?
According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), rainbow fentanyl has the same potency as traditional forms of fentanyl. Rainbow fentanyl is only different because of its colorful presentation.
Where does rainbow fentanyl come from?
Experts believe that rainbow fentanyl originated in Mexico.
Most illicit fentanyl is manufactured in underground warehouses in Mexico and China, then trafficked into the U.S. Legitimate, prescription fentanyl does NOT come in bright colors; all rainbow fentanyl is produced illegally and in unsafe conditions.
What should I do if I find rainbow fentanyl?
According to the CDC and DEA, if you come across any type of fentanyl (including rainbow fentanyl), you should call 911 immediately. Do NOT touch or move the fentanyl.
Can I overdose by accidentally touching fentanyl?
It is unlikely that coming into contact with fentanyl (i.e., touching fentanyl or touching something that had fentanyl on it) would cause an overdose. While fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin, that can only happen over very prolonged periods (specifically, the fentanyl patch).
Why would drug dealers market fentanyl to kids?
The truth is, they wouldn’t. Kids are not an appealing market for drug dealers to target, especially for something as deadly as fentanyl.
Kids do not have access to the kind of money that would fund a drug habit, and due to their small size, would be much more likely to overdose on illicit products containing fentanyl.
While drug experts encourage parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of substance abuse from an early age, it is not likely that young kids are being targeted as potential fentanyl addicts.
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