Halloween is just around the corner, and the things most parents are scared about have nothing to do with ghouls and goblins. Every year comes with concerns around the candy children receive when going trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Each door is a chance at a sugary score, but what if not every piece of candy is what it seems? Tampered candy and treats are nothing new when it comes to parental worries surrounding the holiday, but this year marks an unprecedented change.
Lacing and Marketing Drugs To Attract Children
Yes, that’s right. People are actively marketing drugs to children through social media platforms every day. With Halloween coming up, these efforts have increased as the night gives drug dealers a chance to get large crowds of children hooked on their drugs. While rare, children can come home with a colorful pill that looks no different from the rest at first glance.
To safely check candy for evidence for tampering and protect your children, follow these guidelines:
- Advise your little ones not to eat any candy until they’re home.
- Give each piece a visual inspection for signs of:
- Discoloration to packaging
- Holes or rips in the wrapper that have been resealed
- Homemade treats that were provided from someone you don’t know
- Throw out any treats that show the above signs.
- Tell your children not to accept candy from those on the street and to stick to familiar neighborhoods and houses.
As drugs have their appearances change in color and shape to appeal to younger markets, the risk of accidental ingestion rises. Right now, one of the country’s most dangerous drugs is being pushed to children in the form of rainbow-colored pills of fentanyl. Often cut with other drugs, rainbow fentanyl isn’t a new type of the drug but instead just an inclusion of food dyes to catch the eye of curious children.
Protect Your Children With Knowledge and Trust
The increase in seizures of rainbow fentanyl have made it clear that drug merchants and manufacturers are looking to expand their market even further, jeopardizing the safety and future of our children.
Make sure your children understand what drugs are and explain why they should never be taken without a doctor or parent’s permission. If you or a family member have stories of struggles with addiction, share them when appropriate to show your children that drugs can negatively impact anyone’s life even after just one use. Every time you talk to them, you give them vital information along with more confidence for them to make their own decision.
Attempting to control and monitor your child at all times can lead to the opposite effect and see them rebelling with drug or alcohol use, so always remember that you’re there to support them rather than control. Even children can succumb to the grasp of addiction, so be prepared to tackle the issue as a family.
Find Family Therapy at ARC
Addiction treatment isn’t only reserved for those who have been abusing drugs for months or years on end. Anyone who struggles with their relationship to drugs or alcohol can benefit immensely from an individualized treatment program. ARC’s treatment plans all come with the option for family therapy, a way to allow those closest to you to heal and grow as you do.
Interested in treatment for yourself or a loved one? Contact the ARC intake team today with any questions you have to get things in motion down the path to recovery.
