Strawberry Quik meth was a drug scare which primarily took place in 2007. Drug dealers were allegedly using coloring and flavoring to disguise

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

as Strawberry Quik, thus making them more appealing to children. The story was widely reported in the media, but no cases of children using flavored meth have been verified.

Drug scare

Emails Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...

reported that drug dealers were using

pop rocks Pop Rocks, also called popping candy, is a candy, owned by Zeta Espacial S.A. Pop Rocks ingredients include sugar, lactose (milk sugar), and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that pressurized carbon dioxide gas bubbles are emb ...

to disguise the taste of meth and market it to children. Emails began to circulate, claiming that meth was being disguised as candy and given to unsuspecting children.

Snopes ''Snopes'' , formerly known as the ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', is a Fact checking, fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been see ...

has reported that while colored crystal meth exists, and flavored meth may exist, there is no evidence of it being given to children. Drug dealers seek clients with a regular source of income, which precludes many children. Strawberry Quik has also been widely reported in Southern Africa, but it has not yet been verified or proven. Newspapers often state that the drug is being handed to children through school fences in candy wrappers or packets.

Existence of colored or flavored meth

Sometimes meth labs will try to brand their crystal meth product by coloring it in order to make it seem unique and to give it more market appeal. Police and drug enforcement officials have conjectured that the idea for "strawberry meth" may have come from such a process. Law enforcement and treatment providers in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

have reported the distribution and/or use of flavored methamphetamine. Strawberry-flavored meth was seized in an apartment in

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

in January 2007. It is also possible for poorly synthesized batches of methamphetamine to have a pink or very light reddish color. This is most likely caused by the colored dyes present in over the counter drugs used in the production meth, such as cold medicine containing ephedrine. This coloration would most likely be the result of improper or poorly executed synthesis of meth. While coloration is rare, it is often marketed as having more desirable qualities such as greater potency or less incidence of negative side effects, though there is no consistent evidence to back up such claims. This kind of tactic (marketing unique looking drugs as being better in some respect) is very common among dealers and drug users. The presence of added flavoring and of added color are independent. Crystal methamphetamine-based preparations may be colorless but flavored, may contain coloring but no flavoring, and may be both colored and flavored.

References

External links

* * * * * {{cite web , title=DEA Resources, Microgram, January 2009 , url=https://www.justice.gov/dea/programs/forensicsci/microgram/mg0109/mg0109.html , website=Justice.gov , publisher=

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...

, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320142651/http://www.justice.gov/dea/programs/forensicsci/microgram/mg0109/mg0109.html , archivedate=March 20, 2012 , date=January 2009 , quote=“FLAVORED METHAMPHETAMINE” IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON Drug culture Methamphetamine Urban legends Internet hoaxes

Drug scare

Existence of colored or flavored meth

See also

References

External links