美国国家公共电台 NPR--Is 'rainbow fentanyl' a threat to your kids this Halloween? Experts say no

Is 'rainbow fentanyl' a threat to your kids this Halloween? Experts say no

Transcript¹

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has been raising a terrifying alarm in recent weeks. According to the DEA, bright-colored fentanyl pills designed to hook children have been spotted² in nearly two dozen states.

The DEA says they identified a deliberate new marketing³ scheme by Mexican cartels and street dealers⁴ who want the pills to "look like candy to children and young people."

"It looks like candy," DEA Administrator⁵ Anne Milgram told NBC News. "In fact, some of the drug traffickers have nicknamed it Sweet Tarts⁶, Skittles."

The DEA alert didn't mention Halloween, but fears about "rainbow" fentanyl and the holiday went viral.

In an interview on Fox News, Milgram was asked whether parents should worry about candy gathered by kids trick-or-treating.

"We have not seen any connection to Halloween," Milgram said.

DEA warning meets skepticism from drug experts

Drug policy experts contacted by NPR agree there's no new fentanyl threat this Halloween. Many are also skeptical⁷ of the DEA's original warning. They don't believe Mexican drug cartels and street dealers have launched any new campaign targeting children.

"I don't see any evidence that the DEA has produced that supports that conjecture," said Nabarun Dasgupta, a researcher studying illegal drugs at the University of North Carolina.

Dasgupta's lab tests illegally manufactured opioid pills collected from across the United States. He says colored pills like the ones highlighted in the DEA warning are on the streets but that it's nothing new.

"We get them almost on a daily basis," he said. "We see pinks and purples, yellow, green, red, aqua, fuchsia. It's a pretty wide palette. Blue is the predominant color, but it's not surprising to see any of those."

Indeed, street drug experts contacted by NPR say traffickers have long used bright colors in their products for reasons that have nothing to do with children.

Dr. Sheila Vakharia, head of research for an addiction⁸ think-tank called the Drug Policy Alliance, said dealers use colors, stamps and other markers "to distinguish their product from other products on the street."

Warnings about sidewalk chalk and toy boxes

In its warning about dealers marketing fentanyl to young people, the DEA also suggested cartels are coloring blocks of the drug so that it "resembles sidewalk chalk."

The DEA also issued an alert about bright-colored fentanyl smuggled⁹ in a box of LEGO toys that included a statement from New York City Police Commissioner¹⁰ Keechant Sewell.

"Disguising fentanyl as candy — and concealing¹¹ it in children's toys — will never hide the fact that fentanyl is a deadly poison that harms our communities, our families, and our city," Sewell said.

But the DEA alert acknowledges the pills appear to have been concealed¹² in the toy box not to attract young people, but as a smuggling¹³ tactic¹⁴ meant "to deter¹⁵ law enforcement attention."

Why would dealers market fentanyl to young children?

Drug experts contacted by NPR also questioned whether traffickers, who are driven by profit, would focus on kids.

They said selling fentanyl pills deliberately¹⁶ to children would be incredibly risky¹⁷. The drug is potent¹⁸ and deadly, and the legal penalties for dealing¹⁹ drugs to kids are severe.

They also noted²⁰ that selling to really young kids — who might be drawn²¹ to pills that look like candy or sidewalk chalk — would be bad for business.

Young children typically lack access to the kind of cash that makes for good repeat customers.

Vakharia believes the real public health concern is dealers shaping and coloring pills to look like fentanyl-free opioids from a pharmacy²². "Oftentimes colors are also used to mimic²³ legitimate²⁴ prescription²⁵ medications," she said.

NPR sent a list of questions to the DEA, asking for an interview or for more detailed²⁶ evidence to support the claim drug dealers are actively²⁷ using candy-like fentanyl to hook children.

On background, DEA officials said their investigations²⁸ show traffickers are targeting young people in part by using social media, but they declined to offer specifics.

"College, high school, and even middle school-aged kids might encounter illegal drug sales online," according to the statement.

"New drug trends, like fake pills and brightly colored fentanyl, are marketing tactics used to appeal to various customers."

A real crisis and concern about false alarms

Everyone contacted for this story agrees fentanyl is a danger. Overdoses hit record levels in the United States last year, with a significant rise in deaths among people age 15 to 34.

NPR could find no evidence linking those deaths to "rainbow" fentanyl.

Brandon del Pozo, an addiction medicine researcher at Brown University, says fears about the very real fentanyl crisis have sometimes given rise to inaccurate²⁹ information and false alarms.

"Fentanyl's a very potent drug that's causing a lot of overdose death but it's taken on a mythical³⁰ life of its own," he said.

Del Pozo, who worked as a police officer in New York and Vermont, says in some instances drug scares that aren't based on good science are shared by law enforcement.

He points to the belief among some first responders that they can suffer overdoses or other serious health effects by touching³¹ fentanyl powder or accidentally inhaling³² small amounts of the substance.

"There's just no evidence," del Pozo said. "There's never been a toxicologically confirmed case of that happening with police."

According to del Pozo, false alarms and drug scares matter because they distract attention from the need for better health care and addiction treatment at a moment when more than 100,000 Americans are dying from overdoses each year.

"We're forgoing³³ good solid basic public health and safety information that could be used to reverse overdoses, link people to treatment and save lives," he said.

Again, there's no evidence of any heightened risk from fentanyl linked to Halloween. The Food and Drug Administration does offer a list of safety tips every October.

The FDA recommends kids only accept candy that is commercially wrapped, advising parents to examine sweets for any signs of tampering³⁴.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

5 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

6 tarts   

n.果馅饼( tart的名词复数 )；轻佻的女人；妓女；小妞

参考例句：

• I decided to make some tarts for tea. 我决定做些吃茶点时吃的果馅饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They ate raspberry tarts and ice cream. 大家吃着木莓馅饼和冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

7 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

8 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

10 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

11 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

12 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

13 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

14 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

15 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

16 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

17 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

18 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

19 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

20 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

21 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

22 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

23 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

24 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

25 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

26 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

27 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

28 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

29 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

30 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

31 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

32 inhaling   

v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was treated for the effects of inhaling smoke. 他因吸入烟尘而接受治疗。 来自辞典例句
• The long-term effects of inhaling contaminated air is unknown. 长期吸入被污染空气的影响还无从知晓。 来自互联网

33 forgoing   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Everything, in short, is produced at the expense of forgoing something else. 总之，每一种东西的生产，都得以牺牲放弃某些其他东西为代价。 来自互联网
• These aren't the only ones forgoing the morning repast, of course. 当然，他们并不是放弃早餐的唯一几个。 来自互联网

34 tampering   

v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• Two policemen were accused of tampering with the evidence. 有两名警察被控篡改证据。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As Harry London had forecast, Brookside's D-day caught many meter-tampering offenders. 正如哈里·伦敦预见到的那样，布鲁克赛德的D日行动抓住了不少非法改装仪表的人。 来自辞典例句