Are Candy-Flavored Drugs Luring Children?
Drug dealers are always trying to increase their market and lure new addicts. Parents need to be ever-vigilant to protect their children. Just in time for Halloween, news stations and cyberspace have been flooded with warnings about a new candy-flavored form of crystal meth that looks and tastes like the candy Pop Rocks. Hysteria-fanning reports of this and other candy-like drugs being passed out to children in school yards have parents understandably worried. The reports have parents asking: Do I need to worry? Can I send my children out trick-or-treating this year?
While it’s always wise to be cautious, some of the information being circulated is false or doubtful at best. However, some news media, including Fox News and television stations across the country, have been over-hyping the fear factor to boost ratings. Drug dealers are selling colored crystal methamphetamine. Called Strawberry Quick, the rough-ground pink crystals do resemble the popular kid candy Pop Rocks. But reports that this form of crystal meth is scented and flavored to taste like candy are extremely doubtful. And panic-inducing reports that it is being handed out to America’s children on playgrounds are false.
Colored crystal meth in both granulated and powdered form was first seized by Nevada drug agents in January 2007. Originally found as a pink powder, it was named Strawberry Quick for its resemblance to the popular powdered drink mix used to flavor milk. Since then, the Drug Enforcement Administration has reported the spread of colored methamphetamine across America. DEA agents have also found a red powdered form of the powerful drug being marketed as an energy drink. “Drug traffickers are trying to lure in new customers, no matter what their age, by making the meth seem less dangerous,” warned DEA spokesman Steve Robertson.
Like drug agents and law enforcement officers, parents are right to be concerned about this new development. The concern is that by disguising these drugs to look like normal candy and food products, children and teens may perceive these drugs to be less dangerous and less addictive than they actually are. Recent news reports provide parents with an excellent opportunity to discuss the dangers of drug use with their children and teens. Teach your children to be aware of the potential danger of drugs in any form. For helpful information about drugs and drug addiction that you can use, visit the Transitions Recovery Center website.
