Rainbow Fentanyl Arrives Just in Time for Halloween
Between the bug gelatin, metal strands and titanium dioxide, Skittles already had problems. But those problems were with what the candies contained. Now there’s a problem with what the candies look like. Because if you taste the Rainbow Fentanyl, it could be the very last thing you ever taste.
That’s right. The Cartels are currently concocting counterfeit opioids in all the many colors of the Skittles rainbow. Whether or not they’re doin’ it to appeal to an ever younger clientele or simply because Halloween is just around the corner isn’t clear. What is clear is that the Rainbow Fentanyl is prevalent in nearly every part of the country, and that it is unequivocally deadly.
The Feds of course have been warning about these counterfeit opioids for some time now. We even helped break the news of their campaign. That was one year ago, almost to the day. The DEA had issued a Public Safety Alert called One Pill Can Kill. And we were only too eager to help spread the warning. And the warning most definitely needed to be spread.
“We decided to do this because the amounts are staggering,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told The Washington Post at the time. “We are in the midst, in my view, of an overdose crisis, and the counterfeit pills are driving so much of it.”
One year later the only difference is that death now comes in a variety of very vibrant colors.
Don’t Taste the Rainbow
At this point, people should probably think twice about Skittles altogether. Back in 2009, the candy’s maker – Mars Wrigley Confectionery – had to remove the bug gelatin from the multicolored treats so they could be consumed by vegans, vegetarians and those whose religions forbid eating bugs. We don’t know why those folks were pandered to, let alone why the company didn’t see eating bugs could be a problem for everyone, but we’re not a billion-dollar candy maker. We were a little puzzled too when Mars Wrigley issued only a voluntary recall when they discovered there may be “a very thin metal strand embedded in the gummies or loose in the bag.” Since when don’t thin metal strands require a mandatory recall? Perhaps the company knew they were about to get sued over the treats containing titanium dioxide and decided to hold back some resources. After all, when people are saying your product is “unfit for human consumption” a few strands of metal don’t mean so much.
But that’s just what happened. A California man came along and sued Mars Wrigley, claiming that the use of titanium dioxide in the candy makes it “unfit for human consumption.” Though titanium dioxide is FDA approved, Mars had actually promised to phase it out by 2021. That would’ve put the company in league with the EU, whose ban of the additive began in August.
Rainbow Fentanyl however opens up a whole new set of issues. There’s the apparent appeal to children, plus the literally lethal aspect of the pills. How Mars Wrigley is going to beat being equated with something that looks enticing to kids and kills people by the thousands is beyond difficult to determine. Maybe the candies can go grey again like they did in 2020 in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Though even there we find issues. Can you please tell us again how being colorless signifies that only one rainbow matters during the month of June? The concept is beyond our grasp.
What it all boils down to is Mars Wrigley seems to have lost its way, at least so far as Skittles are concerned. And they won’t be finding much more gold till folks get over Rainbow Fentanyl.
Rainbow Fentanyl
What about that Rainbow Fentanyl? Well, so far the DEA has seized the multi-colored pills in 18 states. That doesn’t mean it’s not in more of the country though. In fact, we imagine it’ll be all across the land in no time. The Feds imagine so too. And have issued a Press Release attesting to that fact.
Brightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk, reads the release. Despite claims that certain colors may be more potent than others, there is no indication through DEA’s laboratory testing that this is the case. Every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous.
Indeed.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country, it continues. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Drug poisonings are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
And while the Rainbow Fentanyl might catch the eyes of children, that’s hardly the reason for the colors. After all, few young children have disposable income, let alone the body weight to survive a dose of fentanyl. “Which is not to say that the colors aren’t possibly designed to make the pills more attractive in general,” writes Reason’s Lenore Skenazy. “Heroin packets, for instance, come stamped with all kinds of edgy names and images.”
Healing Properties is Over the Rainbow Fentanyl
How about you? Looking to get over the Fentanyl Rainbow? How ’bout the Rainbow Fentanyl? Best then never to begin. After all, you only get to end once. And these brightly-colored confections are all about the end. If you have given ’em a try and survived, well, please don’t risk another dose. It could very well be your last. Remember, Narcan can’t save you for long. In some cases, even five minutes is too long. Then again, those five minutes could last as long as forever.
Please give us a ring. Let us help sort out a future for you. A future with a much less lethal rainbow.
