WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public about the rise of "rainbow fentanyl."
In August 2022, DEA and law enforcement partners seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states. These pills are known as “rainbow fentanyl.”
According to the DEA, this trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people.
“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 DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “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.”
"Rainbow fentanyl" is found in many different forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resembles sidewalk chalk.
According to the DEA, there is no data that supports certain colors may be more potent than others. They say every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, the DEA states. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is a lethal dose.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
