Rainbow fentanyl, not as lucky as Lucky Charms

Drugs have always been a part of the modern world. The first was discovered in 1869 and used in the medical field. As technologies evolve and new things have been discovered, drugs have gotten stronger and many have been used irresponsibly. Drug abuse is a very serious subject, and there are many different reasons someone would abuse drugs, such as to escape reality and life, to commit suicide via overdose, or due to getting addicted. As of recently, a drug known as fentanyl has been making a rise, due to it being disguised as candy, especially around Halloween.

Fentanyl was discovered in 1959 by Dr. Paul Janssen, but it wasn't introduced to the medical field until 1960, where it is used as an intravenous anesthesia to help patients to relax and not be in pain. In recent years however, it has derived from this use. People are disguising fentanyl as candy or coating candies in it. According to an article from http://www.gpb.org, "Rainbow fentanyl - fentanyl pills and powder that comes in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes - is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."(Ellen Eldrige, "GBI says brightly colored fentanyl pills have not been found in Georgia ahead of Halloween," October 24, 2022.) So we can assume that this is an attempt to get people addicted to this drug to increase drug traffickers sales. Drug addiction has been intense for years, although in some countries, drug use is much lower. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warns, "If you encounter fentanyl in any form, do not handle it and call 911 immediately." Be careful who you accept candy from this holiday season and don't eat ingest anything that may seem suspicious.

Bella Wilsted is a Sophomore student at Valley Oaks Charter School.