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Strawberry Quick Meth Warning

28
Feb
2012

The following Facebook warning has gone viral the past few days:

“ALL PARENTS PLEEEASE BE AWARE!! .There is a drug going around the schools .Its known as Strawberry Quick .or strawberry meth .it looks like pop rocks kids eat & also smells like strawberries & also comes in other flavors like chocolate ect . Pleeease tell your children not to take candy from anyone even a class mate because this drug that looks like pop rocks is actually crystal meth rocked up with strawberry flavor & can kill them :'( .PLEASE REPOST!!! so all parents are aware of this .Thank You! This is happening all over the country”

Now, some Facebook warnings have no basis in fact and are completely fabricated or used to intentionally spread misinformation. Others have just enough truth thrown into the mix, and that can further confuse the masses. Other warnings fall into the realm of the hypothetical – technically, the crux of the warning could happen; therefore, some people will warn as many people about it as they possibly can.

There is a dedicated Wikipedia page to the Strawberry Meth warning. It appears this warning began circulating in 2007. Several media outlets and law enforcement agencies have further spread the warning across the globe.

Here is a breakdown of the facts:

  1. No cases of children using flavored Meth have been verified.
  2. There can be different colors of Crystal Meth, so it is possible that some varieties could easily be pink and resemble Strawberry Quick, Pop Rocks or other substances. Color variations can be intentional or due to the manufacturing processes employed.
  3. Drug dealers could add flavoring substances to make the drug more appealing and to mask the taste of the harsh chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
  4. Drug dealers have been known to target children in the past. They are the dregs of society and obviously have no regard for the safety and well being of others. Morality is a complex issue, and of course there are drug dealers that would not purposefully target children, but it can and does happen.
  5. Michael Sanders, of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, has stated, “It’s not a trend or a real problem.”

So, the bottom line is that the warning is basically unfounded and exaggerated, but in theory it could occur.

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