DEA warns of "rainbow fentanyl" use among youths

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) warned of the growing use of 'rainbow fentanyl' among young people. A drug which resembles candy that tries to confuse both vulnerable children and the youth population.

This synthetic drug is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and is mixed with other substances such as heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine.

DEA Director Anne Milgram noted that the appearance of this substance in this form is made with the intention of attracting children and young people:

In addition to powder and tablets, 'rainbow fentanyl' can be supplied in tablet form. Regarding the colors, the laboratories have not been able to demonstrate, for the time being, any kind of relationship between the shades and the potency that this drug may have, as was suspected at first.

Action against fentanyl

The DEA began seizing 'rainbow fentanyl' in early August in 18 different states. It recently seized a cache of 15,000 different colored pills from a single individual in West Virginia while two other seizures occurred in Portland, Oregon.

During the month of July, the Border Patrol seized 2,071 pounds of fentanyl from Mexico. Such a quantity has the capcity to kill 470 million people, or, 150% of the U.S. population.

Since its appearance, it has been responsible for a considerable increase in deaths from overdose. Authorities such as the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, have warned of the dangers of fentanyl, a drug that especially impacts this border state.