DEA issues warning over rainbow fentanyl targeting young people

The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States.

A new wave of multi-colored “rainbow fentanyl” pills, powders and blocks that look similar to candy have been seized in at least 21 states. According to the DEA, this trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl to children and young people.

“It’s a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said. Every color, shape and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous, the DEA warns.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose. Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder.

Since the DEA issued its warning, some colleges and universities have begun cautioning their students about the rising trend and the threats of rainbow fentanyl. While fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing the nation, the DEA did not specify any reports of overdoses or deaths attributed specifically to rainbow fentanyl.

In 2021, a record number of Americans – 107,622 – died from a drug poisoning or overdose. Sixty-six percent of those deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, based on CDC data.

This week, the Justice Department announced that the DEA and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during the period of May 23 through Sept. 8. The amount of fentanyl taken off the streets during this surge is equivalent to more than 36 million lethal doses removed from the illegal drug supply. Of the 390 cases investigated during this period, 51 cases are linked to overdose poisonings and 35 cases link directly to one or both of the primary Mexican cartels responsible for the majority of fentanyl in the United States — the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

In September 2021, the DEA launched the One Pill Can Kill public awareness campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of fake pills. They advise parents and caregivers to talk to teens and young adults about the dangers of these illicit drugs.