Houston County Sheriff’s Office on threat of rainbow fentanyl to Halloween
Every year we hear of new dangers posed to children while they’re trick or treating, this year it’s rainbow fentanyl.
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - It’s colorful and looks like candy, but it could have deadly consequences for your children.
There are concerns of rainbow fentanyl winding up in Halloween candy buckets.
Every year we hear of new dangers posed to children while they’re trick or treating, this year it’s rainbow fentanyl. The drug starts off as a powder and is compressed into a pill. Then it’s dyed bright colors that look like candy. The coloring is believed to be a tactic to make the drug more marketable.
Sgt. Joshua Robertson works for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and he says parents should always be vigilant in monitoring their children’s candy on Halloween.
Anything that appears to be homemade or tampered with shouldn’t be eaten. But, regarding this new form of fentanyl, Robertson says it seems unlikely to end up in your child’s bag on Halloween night.
“I mean the purpose of the rainbow fentanyl is to get unsuspecting people to take it,” said Robertson. “Therefore to get a chemical dependency and become addicted to it and as we know children are not going to do that they aren’t going to go out and buy drugs on the street. So, the purpose of the rainbow fentanyl isn’t for Halloween candy. We live in a crazy time and a crazy world where you couldn’t put anything past anyone these days, so parents still need to be very vigilant about where their kids are trick or treating.”
The DEA seized rainbow fentanyl from 26 different states since August of 2022. While the threat to the Wiregrass may be limited, parents should still be cautious about where their kids trick or treat and the candy they take.
Additionally, Sgt. Robertson also mentioned if parents or children need assistance on Halloween night to reach out to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
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