Tri-City Residents Worry about Fentanyl for Halloween
With Halloween upon us and a recent, sizeable bust of rainbow colored, or "skittles," fentanyl pills in the Tri-City area, a lot of parents are wondering if their trick-or-treater's candy bag could contain the deadly opioid. However, Kennewick police say that the concern is unfounded.
"I don't think that people need to be worried about their kids going out and trick-or-treating and somebody handing out pills. That doesn't make sense, from a financial stand point, for someone (who is dealing drugs)." said KPD Officer Roman Trujillo.
Rainbow colored fentanyl has been making its way into the United States via Mexico for the last several months and has been found in many areas, both metropolitan and rural.
According to authorities, the real problem at hand is if somebody has the substance in their own home, not the home of a neighbor.
"If people are using these pills and they have them around the house and their kids come across them, the children could ingest them because they look like candy," Officer Trujillo adds.
Fentanyl overdoses and poisonings have increased exponentially over the past year across the nation. If you are concerned about a possible incident in your own family, make sure you contact either your local health department, or the Washington State Health Department) and you can secure your own dose of Naloxone. Naloxone can end an opioid overdose in most circumstances and is provided free of charge by many health districts.