Pens resembling hypodermic needles stir ire amid drug crisis

Pens resembling hypodermic needles are being sold as toys, stirring concerns among parents and drug abuse prevention advocates who say they're in poor taste as the country battles a heroin crisis.

The pens are clear plastic tubes filled with brightly colored liquid and marked with the measuring lines found on syringes. They're being sold at Target stores and several online retailers.

New Hampshire's senior director for substance misuse and behavioral health says the pens trivialize the drug abuse crisis. He calls it a "societally outrageous" marketing scheme.

But mother Nikki Shipley of Fort Lee, Virginia, says the controversy is overblown and parents have to take some responsibility for their children.

A Target spokeswoman says the company appreciates the feedback. It is leaving the pens on the shelves.

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