Halloween is a holiday made for manufactured fear and fright, but a very real and present danger looms on the horizon this October, fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive narcotic that is one of the easiest drugs to overdose on. Experts are warning trick-or-treaters and parents of “rainbow fentanyl,” a way for drug cartels to get America’s youth hooked on drugs.
This candy-appearing substance has been described as “chalky and “colorful.”
The recent frenzy over fentanyl has called attention to a decades-long problem. Fentanyl has been used for years to lace into other illegal substances such as cocaine and methamphetamines. Doing this makes the drug far more addictive, and far less expensive for the dealer to manufacture. However, it also makes the altered drug exponentially more deadly.
Granted, fentanyl can be pharmaceutically prescribed for treating pain, but the fentanyl being referenced in this article is of the illegal variety, and highly dangerous as it is completely unregulated.
This drug is nearly impossible to detect, which is one of the factors making it so incredibly dangerous and putting children at risk this Halloween.
This is not the first Halloween candy-related scare plaguing trick or treaters, not-so-sweet scares have hit headlines since the 1970s. In the 70s, a father laced his own son’s sugary sweet with cyanide, beginning a mania over a “candy killer” rumors quickly ripped through the news of needles, spikes, and even razor blades found in children’s candy. Granted, none of these spiky accusations were ever proven or seemingly based in fact.
“Rainbow Fentanyl” is fentanyl-laced candy that may be spotted this Halloween. It resembles sweet tarts or smarties in its brightly colored innocent looking nature, but in reality, is a deadly drug being spread to get kids addicted to drugs.
This year, families and parents have to be extremely careful with what goes into their children’s Halloween baskets. It is recommended to only allow kids to trick or treat from trusted neighbors and friends, monitor what kids are receiving, and check Halloween candy before it is ingested.

(All fentanyl information from cdc.org)