Strawberry Quick Crystal Meth: Is It a Hoax?

What Is the Strawberry Quick Drug Hoax?

The strawberry quick meth myth refers to a story about colored or flavored meth that circulated in the media in 2007. According to the stories about strawberry quick meth, drug dealers were disguising meth with the use of products like strawberry flavored Nesquik and Pop Rocks. The objective of this substance was to entice kids to use it and find drugs more appealing. According to numerous stories, drug dealers created a flavored and colored version of crystal meth to target younger customers – like kids or teens – but needed to find a quick way to make meth more appealing. The myth about the drug called strawberry quick refers to a new version of methamphetamine in which it’s sweetly flavored or colored to look and taste like something kids would want to eat, such as candy. According to the stories, the added flavors would mask the acidity of meth.

As you can imagine, stories of this new kind of meth flooded Facebook frequently, many of which included supposed pictures of the drug along with a warning to parents that it’s circulating in their children's schools. The strawberry quick crystal meth has become so severe that school groups like PTAs have sent out warnings that this kind of meth isn’t just available in strawberry quick flavor, but also flavors like chocolate, cherry, grape, orange, and more. These warnings also informed concerned parents that strawberry quick meth looked like the Pop Rocks candy that sizzles in your mouth. The supposed appearance of the drug was a dark pink crystalline substance that smelled like strawberries.

The Truth Behind the Strawberry Quick Drug

Another similar story about this fruity-flavored version of meth was formulated in which people believed that meth was being mixed with Kool-Aid to make it taste better. The myth about the strawberry drug has even spread as far as South Africa, but is it true? To sum it up, strawberry quick crystal meth or strawberry quick meth was not real and has since been debunked. In 2010, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Michael Sanders shared that the trend was not a real problem and claimed that the myth was the result of good but unsupported intentions.

Sanders stated that the DEA hadn’t heard of anyone adding strawberry flavoring to meth, despite the many e-mails that circulated about strawberry quick meth. He also added that while they did find colored meth on one occasion, the individual added dye to the portion to avoid legal detection rather than lure kids into using drugs.¹ As a Delaware drug rehab with experience in treating people for substance use disorders, we can say that while the idea of drug dealers flavoring meth to lure kids into drug use may capture the public’s attention, the kind of methamphetamine that does exist is bad enough.

Methamphetamine, also known as meth or crystal meth, is a central nervous system stimulant that’s recreationally used for its euphoric and mood-boosting side effects. Using meth can lead to side effects like euphoria, increased energy, and alertness, as well as physical complications like skin disease (meth face), tooth decay (meth mouth), cardiovascular disease, and more. Drug hoaxes will always come and go, and while the strawberry quick drug isn’t real, plain old meth sure is.