Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Downplay Risks Of Halloween 'Rainbow Fentanyl'
USA Today: Rainbow Fentanyl Passed Out On Halloween? Why Experts Say That's 'Absolutely Ludicrous.'
It's been an annual tradition for people to raise concerns of drugs like marijuana edibles or dangerous objects such as needles to be inside candy for the holiday. But this time around has been different, at least to Joel Best, a sociology and criminal justice professor at the University of Delaware who has spent decades studying the scare of tainted Halloween treats. "This year has been especially unusual because you have prominent people pointing to a particular danger, which, of course, is the danger of rainbow fentanyl," Best told USA TODAY. "This has been very strange." (Mendoza, 10/26)
NPR: How Concerns Over Rainbow Fentanyl Became This Year's Halloween's Monster
Although it's normal to hear concerns over what a child may receive when they go trick-or-treating, misinformation this year has been particularly persistent. In August, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alerted the public to the existence of bright-colored fentanyl pills that resemble candy — now dubbed "rainbow fentanyl." The DEA warned that the pills were a deliberate scheme by drug cartels to sell addictive fentanyl to children and young people. Although the agency didn't mention Halloween specifically, people remain alarmed this holiday following the DEA's warning. Drug experts, however, say that there is no new fentanyl threat to kids this Halloween. (Heyward, 10/31)
WOODTV.Com: What Are The Chances Of Fentanyl In Halloween Candy?
There’s been a lot of confusion surrounding rainbow fentanyl. Mainly that it’s supposed to target children. But according to Dr. Nicholas Goeders, professor and chair person of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Neuroscience with LSU Health Shreveport, that’s not true. “I do not believe they’re targeting children. I think this is an attempt to be able to smuggle more of the product across the border because if it looks like it’s something legitimate, then it might not be as likely to be seized,“ Goeders said. (Tabb and Nexstar, 10/29)
WQCS: Florida's Attorney General Warns About 'Rainbow' Fentanyl Ahead Of Halloween
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning families about the possibility of "rainbow" fentanyl disguised as candy being distributed on Halloween. Law enforcement nationwide have seized brightly colored fentanyl pills that resemble candy — some of these deadly drugs have been found in toy and candy boxes, officials say. (10/28)
See the Drug Enforcement Agency's flyer explaining the dangers of fentanyl:
What Every Parent and Caregiver Needs To Know About Fake Pills
More about fentanyl —
Bay Area News Group: Fentanyl Is Behind 1 Out Of 5 Deaths Of Californians Ages 15-24
Fentanyl overdoses are leaving their toll not only in tragically familiar places like San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin district but also inside teenagers’ bedrooms in some of the Bay Area’s most upscale neighborhoods. More and more often, users have no idea the drugs they are taking include fentanyl. (Nickerson, 10/30)
AP: As Fentanyl Drives Overdose Deaths, Mistaken Beliefs Persist
As fentanyl gains attention, mistaken beliefs persist about the drug, how it is trafficked and why so many people are dying. (Mulvihill, 10/28)
