Candy or Fentanyl?
There are so many dangerous myths surrounding fentanyl, one of the largest is the idea of fentanyl is being passed off as candy. This has not actually been proven! Illicit drug manufactures have begun making M 30 pills, which are usually blue, multiple colors. M 30 pills are the main street drug for fentanyl, people who are buying M 30s from not a prescription know they are not receiving true M 30s so illicit drug manufactures are now adding different colored dyes for either identification purposes or purely aesthetic. These colored M 30s are not being sold as candy! Another myth in circulation has shown M 30s in candy boxes, presenting this as dealers putting fentanyl in candy boxes and then selling them as candy. It is very common for people to hide illicit drugs, especially when transporting or selling. Dealers are not filling candy boxes with M 30s and then selling them to children as Whoppers!
So now, let’s go through some popular images and decide if they are Candy or Fentanyl!
This is… Fentanyl! Notice they are colored M 30 pills and look like pills not candy- even though they are colorful!
This is… Candy! These are Smarties! Notice they look very uniform and do not have anything imprinted on them. It has not been reported that illicit drug manufacturers have been making fentanyl like this. Illicit drug manufacturers want their clients to know what they are buying and will make sure they can tell by using stamps or imprints.
This is… Fentanyl! Even though they were being stored in a Sweet Tarts box, notice they look nothing like Sweet Tarts and look like blue pills!
This is… Candy! These are actual Sweet Tarts! Notice they look very uniform and have the Sweet Tart logo imprinted on them. Illicitly made M 30s do not look like they have been made in a factory and have imperfections and a grainy texture.
This is… Fentanly! Even though these are in a Skittles container, notice they look like blue pills and not candy coated Skittles.
This is… Candy! These are actual Skittles! Notice the candy coating and Skittles S on them. Even the blue ones do not look like the M 30s!
This is… Fentanly AND Candy! There are blue M 30s mixed with Nerd candies on these plates. It looks like these were being stored in Mini M&M tubes. Even though they are mixed, you can still tell that the pills are not candy!
These are… Candy! These are real Mini M&Ms and Nerds! Notice how they look nothing like blue pills!
This is… Fentanly! Notice how they are blue M 30 pills and not Whoppers!
Lastly this is…. Candy! These are real Whoppers which you can tell by the chocolate coating and the fact they aren’t pills.
This myth is dangerous and brings attention away from actually harm reduction topics. Communication is so important and if you are worried about your child or anyone you know accidently consuming fentanyl instead of candy, please know that is extremely unlikely to happen. Take time to talk to your loved ones about different ways to tell what is safe and what isn’t and what to do if they do somehow find Fentanyl. Prescription misuse in teens is the most common way teens use opioids and only 2.8% of adolescents misused opioid pain relievers in 2018. The teenagers using opioids know they are using and are not being tricked by dealers selling or even giving away “candy”.