Fox News wants Halloween canceled over fentanyl
Fox News pundits on Tuesday urged parents to not let their kids go trick-or-treating on Halloween because, they claimed, that candy could be laced with fentanyl.
The panel's discussion took place shortly after the United States Department of Justice announced that the Drug Enforcement Agency "seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during the period of May 23 through Sept. 8, 2022. The amount of fentanyl taken off the streets during this surge is equivalent to more than 36 million lethal doses removed from the illegal drug supply. Additionally, 338 weapons were seized, including rifles, shotguns, pistols, and hand grenades."
But the comments on The Five are part of the right-wing's broader campaign of fearmongering surrounding the deadly synthetic opioid, which drug dealers frequently add to their products to increase volume. There is no evidence, however, that confections are laced with the surgical painkiller either by the manufacturers or unsuspecting neighbors.
"It's very hard to detect," anchor Jesse Watters said. Test kits that anybody can purchase are widely available and cost as little as a dollar apiece.
Judge Jeanine Pirro noted to host Dana Perino that "you know, Dana, young children now going out to trick-or-treat – basically parents have a decision to make. You don't let your kids get that candy," stressing that "it doesn't mean that the person giving it out is intending to harm."
Watters then recommended that families "throw away all the Nerds and the SweeTarts," to which Perino added, "or you decide there's not going to be massive Halloween parading. There's going to be small groups with families that we know; we're going to do this in our backyard or our basement and that's how we're going to do it."