Over the past month or so, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has been warning of “rainbow fentanyl,” which is now found in almost half the states in the country.
The only state in New England with a confirmed report of the brightly-colored illegal drugs is Maine.
According to the DEA, fentanyl has been spotted in forms like candy and sidewalk chalk and appears to be directed and drawing young people in as users.
"It does attract, just by the product design alone," said Jon DeLena, deputy special agent in charge of the DEA New England Field Division.
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"People need to understand that’s just a marketing tool to attract a new customer," he explained.
During a Monday interview with NECN/NBC10 Boston, DeLena said that what he is "worried about is just how deadly fentanyl is, whether or not it’s in a rainbow pill or designed to look like Adderall or Percocet…"
What does rainbow fentanyl look like?
According to DeLena, fentanyl began to explode in prevalence across New England in 2016, but the discovery of rainbow fentanyl in Maine did not come until February 2022.
Around the same time, investigators in the state also found illegal pills, at least some of which were shaped like cartoonish skulls or grenades, with methamphetamine or fentanyl pressed into them.
That prompted a warning from federal and state officials for consumers to avoid buying pharmaceutical products from illegitimate sources.
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"You cannot buy a legitimate pharmaceutical on social media," DeLena, echoed, saying that message remains urgent and valid with operations like the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels actively trying to get people addicted to substances.
"They’re trying to drive addiction," he said.
As far as Halloween candy goes, DeLena said the DEA does not "have any information that anybody’s trying to target Halloween, to get kids in their candy supply."
"If we do hear that, we’ll immediately put something out to the public," he noted, adding that "accidental ingestion" always remains a concern.
Looking ahead, DeLena believes it’s likely "inevitable" that the rainbow fentanyl will appear elsewhere in New England if it isn’t there already.
Along with enforcement, treatment and other mitigation methods, he believes public awareness of how deadly fentanyl can be is critical, especially as the substance is mixed in with other drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
"It all worries me, I’ve never seen anything like this in my 30 years of law enforcement," he said.
Maine officials have said 77% of the state’s 2021 opioid deaths were caused by fentanyl.
