The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Rick Scott stated on October 31, 2023 in an X post: Rainbow fentanyl is a threat to children on Halloween. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Corrections and Updates * Drugs * Food Safety * Florida * Rick Scott ![\\"An](\\" An assortment of Halloween candy is shown Oct. 27, 2023, in New York. (AP) ![\\"Sara](\\" By Sara Swann October 31, 2023 # Rick Scott warns about fentanyl in Halloween candy, but experts say there’s no connection #### If Your Time is short * Drug policy experts have repeatedly told news outlets that there have been no reports of fentanyl contaminating Halloween candy, and the risk of this happening is low. * In August 2022, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency issued a warning about drug cartels disguising fentanyl in brightly colored pills and chalklike blocks to target young people. This report did not mention Halloween candy and an agency spokesperson has said it has no reason to believe this is a credible threat. See the sources for this fact-check As children ready themselves for a night of trick-or-treating, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., cautioned families to be wary of fentanyl-laced pills that look like Halloween candy. \"Deadly drugs and cartels cross our southern border each and every day, leaving not even our kids safe as fake pills laced with fentanyl are beginning to look like candy,\" Scott said in a video shared Oct. 31 on X, formerly Twitter. \"By working together and being on high alert this Halloween, we help put an end to the drug traffickers that are driving addiction and poisoning our neighbors and our children.\" > PSA: Don’t forget to talk with your kids and grandkids about these important > safety tips to help them understand the dangers of rainbow fentanyl, which > may look like candy ⬇️Stay safe, and have a #HappyHalloween! > pic.twitter.com/S1OZYHo114 > > — Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) October 31, 2023 Although Scott’s claim sounds scary, drug policy experts say there’s no evidence brightly colored pills, powder or blocks containing fentanyl — dubbed \"rainbow fentanyl\" — are sneaking into kids’ Halloween candy sacks. When we reached out to Scott\'s team for evidence, Clare Lattanze, a spokesperson for his office, wrote back: \"Senator Scott will continue to urge caution for families on Halloween and every other day so that kids stay safe.\" Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be lethal even in extremely small doses. It’s about 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Because of fentanyl’s deadliness, misleading claims about the drug have proliferated online. PolitiFact has debunked several common myths about fentanyl, including that touching an item containing fentanyl can cause an overdose. In August 2022, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a warning that drug cartels were making fentanyl look like candy to target young people. Rainbow fentanyl has been found in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, the agency said. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Byron Donalds stated on August 6, 2024 in an interview \"Tim Walz signed into law driver\'s licenses for illegal immigrants in Minnesota.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" true/3d4df195c595a07e3fd69b5e4aab3e3c.jpg.\\") ![\\"true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Maria Briceño • August 9, 2024 The agency’s warning did not mention Halloween. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told NBC News and Fox News in September 2022 that the agency has not seen any connection between rainbow fentanyl and Halloween. Nevertheless, in the months following the release of that DEA report, Republican politicians raised alarm over Halloween candy possibly being tainted with fentanyl. Those misleading claims persist, in the tradition of other concerns about Halloween candy contaminated with poison, needles or razors that are largely unfounded. Families are encouraged to check their children’s Halloween candy for potential tampering or dangerous substances. But experts have repeatedly told news outlets, including NPR, The Washington Post, Vox and USA Today, that it’s highly unlikely fentanyl will be found among the treats. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends inspecting candy and throwing away anything with signs of tampering, such as discoloration, tiny pinholes and tears in wrappers. PolitiFact rates claims based on what’s known when the statement is made. Based on available information, we rate the claim that rainbow fentanyl is a threat to children on Halloween False. **UPDATE, Oct. 31, 2023:** This story has been updated to include a statement from Scott\'s office. **RELATED:** Common myths about fentanyl debunked: No, you can’t accidentally overdose by touching fentanyl #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Rick Scott, X post (archived), Oct. 31, 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, \"Fentanyl Facts,\" Drug Enforcement Agency, \"DEA Warns of Brightly-Colored Fentanyl Used to Target Young Americans,\" Aug. 30, 2022 Food and Drug Administration, \"Halloween Safety Tips: Costumes, Candy, and Colored Contact Lenses,\" Oct. 19, 2023 PolitiFact, \"Common myths about fentanyl debunked: No, you can’t accidentally overdose by touching fentanyl,\" Sept. 4, 2023 NBC News, \"Young people are being targeted with brightly colored ‘rainbow fentanyl,’ government drug agency warns,\" Sept. 26, 2022 Fox News, \"DEA official warns of \'rainbow fentanyl\' dangers \'all over social media\' | Fox News Video,\" Sept. 28, 2022 YouTube, \"Senate Republicans PSA Warning Parents About the Dangers of Rainbow Fentanyl Ahead of Halloween,\" Oct. 11, 2022 NPR, \"Is \'rainbow fentanyl\' a threat to your kids this Halloween? Experts say no,\" Oct. 11, 2022 NPR, \"Unfounded fears about rainbow fentanyl become the latest Halloween boogeyman,\" Oct. 31, 2022 The Washington Post, \"The media and the Halloween ‘rainbow fentanyl’ scare,\" Oct. 26, 2022 The Washington Post, \"The history of the drug-laced candy myth — and the real Halloween killer,\" Oct. 31, 2023 Vox, \"Rainbow fentanyl candy is just the latest Halloween panic,\" Oct. 27, 2022 Vox, \"The myth of poisoned Halloween candy,\" Oct. 31, 2018 USA Today, \"Rainbow fentanyl passed out on Halloween? Why experts say that\'s \'absolutely ludicrous.\',\" Oct. 26, 2022 Email with Clare Lattanze, spokesperson for Sen. 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Tim Walz signed a bill “redefining ‘sexual orientation’ to include pedophiles.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • August 16, 2024 ### Rick Scott warns about fentanyl in Halloween candy, but experts say there’s no connection * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 27, 2024 in an Instagram post: California S.B. 1174 eliminates the requirement for voter ID at polling places. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 29, 2024 in X posts: President Joe Biden “did a campaign ad at the graves in Arlington in 2020.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 16, 2024 in a video: Video shows “Kamala Harris describing how she can ruin lives with the \'swipe of a pen.’\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 25, 2024 in a post: Kamala Harris’ “plan to tax unrecognized Capital Gains mean(s) if your house goes up in value you will have to pay that Tax Even if you don’t sell your House!” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Sara Swann • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “There’s no such thing as menopause.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 27, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Hollywood actor Kurt Russell just said: ‘It is now proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden CHEATED in the 2020 election with mail-in ballots.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on August 22, 2024 in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention: Former President Donald Trump \"intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax ... that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 27, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Kurt Russell forms a new non-woke actors alliance with Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 23, 2024 in an X post: Photo of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt was generated by artificial intelligence. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 28, 2024 in an X post: C-SPAN captions for a JD Vance speech said, “Single person clapping.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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Rainbow fentanyl is a threat to children on Halloween