A claim that West Midlands Police sent out a message warning about a drug called “Strawberry Quick” being handed out to children has been shared thousands of times on Facebook.
Posts describe the drug as “a type of crystal meth” that “looks like strawberry pop rocks” and “smells like strawberry”. The posts warn that it is being handed out to children who think it is “candy” and are then rushed to hospital in a serious condition.
But West Midlands Police have released a statement which says the warning is a “hoax”, and that a message purporting to be from them about such a drug being shared with children “is not a genuine message”.
Nevertheless, some posts on Facebook include screenshots of emails from local primary schools warning about the drug, which were genuinely sent to parents.
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How did the hoax circulate?
According to a 2007 article from fact checkers at Snopes, warnings about a drug known as ‘Strawberry Quick’ were reported 18 years ago in the United States, but were soon described as unfounded by federal drug enforcement officials.
Snopes reported: “While colored versions of methamphetamine that somewhat resemble candy may have been found, the notion that drug dealers are deliberately targeting children by producing flavored versions of the drug intended to mimic the appearance and taste of candy appears to have been based on mistaken assumptions.”
Similarly worded posts have been circulating in other countries recently, but various authorities around the world have said they have found little credible evidence to support the claims.
Full Fact contacted the two schools mentioned in the Facebook posts which are circulating. One told us that the school sent an email warning after being contacted by Walsall Council about the drug.
Walsall Council told us it was “recommended to share information with Walsall schools” about the drug and said “this recommendation came from a trusted and verified source”, but wasn’t more specific.
Full Fact understands the council later emailed schools to say the information about Strawberry Quick was a hoax.
West Midlands Police directed Full Fact to its 6 February statement, which said: “We are aware of a message purporting to be from West Midlands Police advising of a new drug called ‘Strawberry Quick’ being shared with children.
“This is not a genuine message and has been confirmed as a hoax.”
The statement also asked schools “in our area to be aware of this message and to not share it more widely”, noting “genuine messages from West Midlands Police will include a mechanism for reporting crimes, usually via 101 or Live Chat”.
Some of the screenshotted emails from schools included a picture which supposedly showed Strawberry Quick. Reverse image search reveals this picture was used in an online article from the Sun in 2017 about “pink teddy bear-shaped ecstasy pills”. The photo caption said the image was a stock picture, and we’ve not been able to find the original.
Hoax posts can do real harm—and misleading posts like this could cause unnecessary distress to parents worried about their children. Before sharing content you see online, it’s important to consider whether what you are seeing is genuine and comes from a trusted source. Our toolkit can help you do this.