The brightly colored pills are “a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA administrator Anne Milgram in a statement.
The U.S. Drug and Enforcement Agency is warning the American public of the presence of “rainbow fentanyl” that has become available in many states.
The DEA, along with partnered agencies, have seized the colorful drug and regular fentanyl pills from 18 states, according to a press release from the DEA. This new colorful take on fentanyl is believed to be a new method that drug cartels are using to help sell the drug, by making it look like candy and possibly targeting a younger audience, the DEA said.
DEA administrator Anne Milgram spoke on the topic of the drug's new look.
“Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said Milgram in the statement.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, and is responsible for 66% of the 107,622 opioid overdose-related deaths in the U.S, according to the CDC. Fentanyl has been found to be one of the deadliest drugs in the country, it is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than methadone, reports the DEA.
With this dangerous drug getting a colorful spin, Milgram assures the public that the DEA will be working to get the drug off the streets.
“The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States,” said Milgram, according to the statement.
The DEA closed the statement by encouraging people to call 911 immediately if ever encountering fentanyl in any form.
