Should you be worried this Halloween about Fentanyl disguised as candy?

In a press release in August, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram said it is "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."

Posted 11:45 a.m. Oct 26, 2022 — Updated 4:10 p.m. Oct 26, 2022

Gale Wilkins

, WRAL contributor

RALEIGH, N.C. — As we approach Halloween, there is conflicting information regarding the risk of candy tampering in light of the surge in "rainbow fentanyl" – a colorful version of fentanyl that looks like candy. Fentanyl can been found in formulations including tablets, powder, and even blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk. Our children must know the candy form of fentanyl resembles their favorite and most popular candies (i.e., Skittles).

In a press release in August, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram said it is "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."

"Should I be worried about my five-year-old daughter and my three-year-old son getting fentanyl-laced candy this year? In short, probably not,'" said Dr. Catherine Lewis Wente, a pharmacist, college professor, wife, and mother of two. “Should my neighbors who have middle school, high school, and college-aged children be worried about their children buying rainbow fentanyl or being exposed to fentanyl in other ways?"

Yes, parents should be worried.

Let's start with the more straightforward question from parents. Why shouldn't I be worried about my cute little mermaid and my handsome firefighter on Halloween? Let’s explore some reasons why not:

Children are not the target market for drug dealers. It doesn't benefit them to lace candy with fentanyl. Her toddler doesn't have a job and isn't going to become a customer.
Fentanyl isn't cheap. People aren't going to be giving it away.

Safe trick-or-treating rules have been out there for decades:

Only trick or treat in your neighborhood and at houses that you trust
Inspect the candy – throw away anything that isn't packaged or has packaging that has been compromised in any way
When in doubt, throw it out
Make sure your kids have eaten an actual meal before trick or treating AND inspect any candy that they want to eat while they're out OR bring your candy for them to eat
Have FUN!!!!!

Now for the reality – we SHOULD be concerned about middle school, high school, and especially college-aged children and rainbow fentanyl because:

The colors and packaging are designed for marketing and to help aid distribution as far as being able to disguise the drug as something else (i.e., sidewalk chalk) and for portability.
These drugs are disguised to look like common prescription drugs. Counterfeit pills are also particularly dangerous for young people, who are often less familiar with the drug market.
The colors play into the psychology of someone getting something special.

Prevention and Early Intervention

According to the National Control Drug Strategy, adolescence is a critical risk period for substance use initiation, and adverse outcomes related to substance use, mainly as drug use, has been found to escalate between ages 12 and 19. Substance use prevention efforts aim to prevent and/or delay the first use of substances. Research shows that the early age of onset is a significant predictor for developing a substance use disorder later in life. Often peers are an influence to youth substance use. We know the best strategy is prevention. Parental influence can deter youth use or unintentionally enable youth use. For example, strong parental monitoring, clear expectations about risk, and positive role modeling can reduce use in youth.

Addiction prevents someone from reaching their full potential. Life coaching is about teaching students how to reach their goals, self-regulate, and find solutions to difficult decisions by presenting a series of compelling questions to guide the process.

Things that are true about fentanyl:

Doctors prescribe fentanyl to treat their patients for severe pain. Because of its potency, it is often added to other drugs to make them cheaper and stronger.

It is 50 times more potent than heroin
It is 100 times more potent than morphine

Things that are NOT true about fentanyl:

· A person will not overdose on fentanyl simply by touching it.

· Fentanyl WILL respond to reversal with naloxone (Narcan®).

Symptoms of a fentanyl overdose include:

Constricted "pinpoint" pupils
Drowsiness or loss of consciousness
Breathing slows or stops
Choking or gurgling sounds
Body becomes limp
Cold, clammy, or discolored skin
Discolored lips and/or fingernails

If you suspect an overdose, call 911 immediately. If you or someone close to you suffers from substance abuse, it is advisable to keep naloxone (Narcan®) on hand to be administered if overdose symptoms occur.

Questions:

· Are you troubled by this occurrence? If so, what steps will you take?

· What are you willing to do?

Gale McKoy Wilkins is a wife, mom, grandparent and family life coach. She is the founder of Project Arrow, an evidence-based peer-to-peer and leadership program teaching middle, high school and first-year college students how to deal with trauma and crisis using life coaching. It's the first life coaching organization in the state to receive funding from the Department of Public Instruction and the first to implement life coaching in a school setting.

Dr. Catherine Lewis Wente is a wife, mom, daughter, clinical pharmacist, and faculty at Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences where she was recently named Educator of the Year. She has many community outreach interests and serves as a consultant for Project Arrow and Family Education Initiative in helping to educate middle and high school students about drug and alcohol abuse.

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