HYSTERIA: It’s about this time each year when we start hearing rumors or seeing on social media that some kind of Halloween candy is laced with some kind of a drug.

It’s an urban legend, a Halloween hysteria perpetuated year after year. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “For nearly 30 years, University of Delaware sociologist Joel Best has been investigating allegations of strangers poisoning kids’ Halloween candy.” He hadn’t found a single case. There were a few cases involving family members and a despicable way to collect life insurance, or someone accidentally passing out candy that was tainted.

And this year’s panic about “rainbow-colored fentanyl” being passed out to kids? USA Today reported: “Dr. Caleb Banta-Green, director of the University of Washington’s Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research, said that while it’s true pastel colors are related to candy, that’s as far as it goes. He said the goal of drug dealers is to maximize profit, and that can’t be done by giving it out to children for free, or asking them to pay for it when they likely don’t have money.”

Closer to home, Ryan Yingling, McKean County chief detective and head of the county’s Drug Task Force, said it’s always a good idea to take a look at a child’s Halloween candy. “Watch anything that is not sealed or not a brand name candy.”

No reports or cautions of any sort have been made to his office, he noted.

The Centers for Disease Control had a different warning completely: food poisoning. Officials cautioned to beware of salmonella, e.coli or listeria in any sort of culinary treats, like cider, veggies, raw cookie dough or chilled foods.