DARE COUNTY, N.C. — Communities are on high alert after a warning about a new drug trend earlier this month.

What You Need To Know

  • The DEA has issued a warning about colorful fentanyl

  • Authorities say the brightly colored pills target young people

  • The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported over 280 fentanyl deaths since June

Colorful fentanyl pills, also known as “rainbow fentanyl,” have been identified by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 18 states, according to the agency's August report.

The Dare County Sheriff's Office says officers have started finding the pills in the county.

Dare County Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Duprey says that with more education on the drug, they can prevent overdoses and death.

“It's just the awareness and letting people know about the fentanyl and these type of drugs. And it's not just the new ones coming out, the candy and pressed pills," Duprey said. "They're putting fentanyl in everything. So of course they are trying to target younger kids, the younger adults. But fentanyl is here, and it's being put in everything."

Community advocates are taking notice, too.

Cross Roads OBX in Kill Devil Hills connects people struggling with substance abuse to treatment and provides support. They are concerned the new trend will make teens more vulnerable.

“It's like any industry, whether it's Coca-Cola or cigarettes, they know that if they can get brand loyalty young, they can get a customer for life. And I think there's an element of pure evil we just cannot explain,” said Corissa Snyder, a peer advocate with Cross Roads OBX.“It's like any industry, whether it's Coca-Cola or cigarettes, they know that if they can get brand loyalty young, they can get a customer for life. And I think there's an element of pure evil we just cannot explain,” said Corissa Snyder, a peer advocate with Cross Roads OBX.

She says she felt a special calling to help people battling addiction.

“When I heard what Cross Roads OBX was doing, being a friend to people as they try to walk out of addiction, my heart just leapt and I just knew that this is something that I was designed to do,” Snyder said.

Opioid use and overdoses are up across the country. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported over 280 fentanyl deaths since June.

Fentanyl is often mixed into other drugs like heroin or cocaine, making deadly overdoses more likely. 

"You can't buy street drugs and think, oh, I know the guy I got it from. There's just no such thing anymore” Snyder said. 

The Dare County Sheriff's Office reported five overdoses since July, bringing the total to 33 since the beginning of 2022.

Snyder says that when she reads the statistics, it pushes her to keep working. She hopes that people learn addiction doesn't discriminate and could affect someone you love.

“It's happening statewide, it's happening nationwide ... This is our community, our family, our friends. It may not be on your doorstep yet, but it could be,” Snyder said.

Find out more about Cross Roads OBX on its website.