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Children not target of ‘rainbow fentanyl,’ experts say. And adding color may actually protect drug users.

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Photo: Drug Enforcement Administration
News from the DEA has some parents worried that rainbow-colored opioids could be given to their children this Halloween. Not only is the claim misguided, Northeastern experts say. It also contributes to a dangerous dialogue about drugs in the United States.

Parents may have noticed a disturbing trend on social media this month: claims that fentanyl is being manufactured in colorful tablets that are meant to attract their children.

Politicians like Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) spread the news on their own social media accounts, telling parents to be aware ahead of the upcoming Halloween holiday and blaming President Joe Biden for not cracking down harder on immigration. And programs like Fox News and Good Morning America have covered the claims as well.

Continue reading at News@Northeastern.

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