State and local officials are warning the community of another batch of fentanyl that has infiltrated Monroe County in a new form.
These rainbow-colored pills resemble candy or oxycodone and may be stamped with M30.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had issued an advisory in August about the drug, saying traffickers are making a “deliberate effort” to target children and young adults, but drug policy experts who spoke to NPR are skeptical, saying they don’t see evidence of that.
However, all agree that the pills are dangerous, including state and local leaders.
“It's the latest threat, and it has Monroe County public safety officials and health officials on edge with good reason,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said during a stop in Rochester on Tuesday.
The Senate majority leader also announced a plan to increase federal funding to help deal with the “scourge of fentanyl.”
“I'm here today to say the federal government has to step up to the plate and do something about it,” Schumer said.
He said that includes an increase of $3.2 billion in the upcoming budget to supercharge “three silos of solution” -- prevention, treatment and recovery.
“These new drugs may be multicolor, but the issue is black and white. We have to get fentanyl off our streets,” Schumer said.
Schumer said fentanyl-laced products have been connected to approximately 60% of overdoses in the country.
Locally, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said he and his team have been fighting to get this drug off the street for almost five years.
Baxter said prevention and enforcement are key as drug dealers continue to find innovative ways to reach consumers. He said these batches of pills resemble brightly colored candy, making them easier to move undetected and to attract younger adults.
“This is a new one, there'll be something different after this,” Baxter said. “The drug dealers are always evolving, trying to kill our friends and our families.”
So far this year, Monroe County Heroine Task Force reported 453 overdoses, 97 of which were fatal.
