Fact Check: Old hoax about Drugs being circulated in Schools is going viral again
Drug or substance abuse among the young generation is a rising concern for their parents and also the society.

Claim :
New drug looking like a pink teddy bear ‘Strawberry Quik Meth’, is going around in schools, that attracts studentsFact :
This is an old hoax; police clarified that there is no such drug in circulation among school children
Drug or substance abuse among the young generation is a rising concern for their parents and also the society. The effects of substance abuse can lead to a range of mental health issues among children, including depression, anxiety, and psychosis. A combination of several factors including rise in incomes, working parents, peer pressure, and ease of availability leads to an increase in substance abuse among adolescents between 10 and 19 years in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana.
In an attempt to tackle drug abuse, over 20,000 high schools in Telangana have established Prahari Clubs, while more than 4000 Anti-Drug Committees have been formed in colleges and universities. The initiatives are part of the Telangana government’s broader strategy to combat drug abuse among youth. Prahari Clubs include school principals as presidents, senior teachers, students, parents, and local police representatives as members. These clubs aim to create drug-free zones around schools and colleges.
Meanwhile, a post showing pink teddy bears in a packet is in circulation with the claim that a new drug is being circulated in schools. The post claims that this is a new drug known as 'strawberry quick '. There is a very scary thing going on in the schools right now that we all need to be aware of. There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like strawberry pop rocks (the candy that sizzles and 'pops' in your mouth). It also smells like strawberry and it is being handed out to kids in school yards. They are calling it strawberry meth or strawberry quick. Kids are ingesting this thinking that it is candy and being rushed off to the hospital in dire condition. It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape, and orange flavours. Please instruct your children not to accept candy from strangers and even not to accept candy that looks like this from a friend (who may have been given it and believed it is candy) and to take any that they may have to a teacher, principal, etc. immediately. Pass this email on to as many people as you can.
The same post is also viral relating it to African countries like Zimbabwe, Jamaica, etc.
This claim is viral on WhatsApp also.
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False.
When we searched the image using Google reverse image search, we found an Instagram post shared by wsquarenews stating that Arunachal Pradesh Police on Friday dismissed rumors about the spread of strawberry-flavored "meth candy" among school children and appealed to guardians to not pay heed to social media posts in this regard
We also found an article in 'The Print' stating “In an advisory, Superintendent of Police Rohit Rajbir Singh of Arunachal Pradesh clarified that social media posts claiming a narcotic drug “strawberry meth” or “strawberry quick” is being distributed to schoolchildren in the form of candies are not correct. It is an old internet hoax that first surfaced in the United States in 2007, Singh said. He said the law enforcement agencies, including the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), have repeatedly stated that no credible evidence supports the existence or widespread distribution of such flavored methamphetamine targeting children. The SP advised parents and the public in general to remain vigilant but avoid spreading unverified messages before sharing, and reporting any suspicious activities to school authorities or law enforcement agencies.”
As the posts also went viral in the African countries, the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information in Jamaica stated that it has not identified any incidents of Strawberry Quick drugs in Jamaican schools.
Taking a cue from this article, when we searched further about Strawberry Quick, we found a fact check published by Snopes.com. According to this article, in early 2007, warnings began to circulate about sweetened and flavored forms of Methamphetamine known as Strawberry quick. Various news accounts about Strawberry Quick first reported it appearing in western states in January 2007 and described it as resembling rock candy or Pop Rocks (a kid-favored confection that fizzles in the mouth), prompting fears that it might fool children and teens into mistakenly perceiving it as candy.
However, after that, federal drug officials issued a clarification that these rumors are baseless.