Fentanyl Misinformation Resource List

Below are some articles that outline misinformation surrounding fentanyl in halloween candy and the myth that individuals are trying to cause young children to overdose. We urge you to think critically about the motivation behind why these messages are being pushed by the Drug Enforcement Agency and policing systems in the United States.

• Fentanyl panic goes viral: The spread of misinformation about overdose risk from casual contact with fentanyl in mainstream and social media, Beletsky et. al., International Journal of Drug Policy

• The ‘Rainbow Fentanyl’ Halloween Candy Panic Is a Midterm Gift to Republicans, by Susan Rinkunas

• No, You Don't Need to Worry About Drugs in Your Kids' Halloween Candy. Here's Why., by Kerry Breen

• Is 'rainbow fentanyl' a threat to your kids this Halloween? Experts say no, by Brian Mann

• Poisoned Halloween Candy: Police have never documented actual cases of people randomly distributing poisoned goodies to children on Halloween, by Barbara Mikkelson

• Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction: Rhetoric and Reality, by O’Neill Institute