Strawberry Meth: The Strawberry Quick Meth Myth

The strawberry meth myth refers to a story that cropped up in 2007 where people believed drug dealers were disguising meth with the use of products like Strawberry Quick, as well as Pop Rocks. The objective according to the myth was to have children like the drugs and find them more appealing. According to the stories, drug dealers wanted to target younger customers in the form of children, but they needed to find a way to make meth more appealing in terms of looks, taste, and smell. The Strawberry Quick meth refers to the supposed sweet flavor of this different form of meth, as well as the color. According to the story, the meth has a sweet flavor that can mask the acidity of meth. Messages about the Strawberry Quick meth circulate Facebook frequently, and many of these also include supposed images of the drug along with warnings to parents that it is going around schools. The myth of strawberry meth has even gotten to the point that school groups like PTAs have sent out warnings about it over the years, and along with the Strawberry Quick flavor, these warnings have said it’s available in other flavors as well such as chocolate, cherry, grape, orange and more. Another similar story was cited in which people believed meth was being mixed with Kool-Aid to make it taste better. Some stories even quote who they say are DEA agents, who inform them that drug dealers want to find new customers through their marketing. The myth has spread as far as South Africa, but it has never been proven. In fact, it’s been debunked. While it’s not out of the question that colored crystal meth exists, most media outlets and experts in the area say that there’s no evidence dealers are seeking out children to give them meth. This wouldn’t really make a lot of sense from the perspective of the drug dealer. Drug dealers want people who will be able to provide them with a steady stream of income, which wouldn’t include children. Also, if a child were to take flavored meth inadvertently one time, they would likely be in harm’s way and not returning to the school yard to obtain more.

While the concept of Strawberry Quick meth being given out on school playgrounds has been debunked, that doesn’t mean that meth can’t be colored. In fact, some meth labs will color their product in order to make it stand out from the rest of the market. There has been confirmed distribution of colored and/or flavored meth in states like California and Nevada. There was also strawberry meth seized in Nevada in 2007, but it was in an apartment, and not because it was given to children. In some cases, batches of meth may also accidentally turn out pink or light red because of the presence of colored dyes in the products used to make them and what happens to them during synthesis. Some dealers and makers of meth will try to market colored products as being stronger or having less negative effects associated with the batch, but this isn’t something that has any basis in reality. To sum up, the concept of Strawberry Meth, at least in terms of being given to children at school, is a myth and it wouldn’t be in the best interest of most drug dealers to give away free products to children. However, there is the potential that colored and flavored meth may be floating around, although it’s not common.