NEW METHAMPHETAMINE MADE TO APPEAL TO KIDS

Stiff Penalties Await Drug Dealers Who Add Flavor To Drugs

A package of childrens flavored drink mix is not usually considered
drug paraphernalia. But a disturbing new trend by meth makers to
‘flavor the drug is creating more and more scenarios where
police digging through the remnants of methamphetamine labs are
finding powdered drink mixes among the anhyrdrous ammonia and other
chemicals.

Its called ‘candy meth or ‘strawberry quick and it has
been described as resembling rock candy or Pop Rocks. Law enforcement
authorties say cooks are adding flavor to methamphetamine to make the
drug appeal to children.

It is also a way of combating the substances bitter
taste.

Local police say they do not believe the phenomenon has made it to
Texarkana, but it could be just a matter of time before it does.
‘If theyre doing it in Dallas, its just a matter of time before
they are doing it here' said Capt. Larry Parker, chief deputy for the
Bowie County Sheriffs Office. Miller County Sheriffs Office Chief
Deputy Tommy Hollin said investigators have heard the flavored drug is
being brought into the area but have yet to see any.

‘Weve heard they are bringing it in. Well just have to watch and
see' he said. Because it looks, smells and tastes like candy, flavored
meth may fool children and teens into thinking it is less dangerous
and addictive than it actually is. The new versions also present an
increased risk that children who happen upon stashes of the drug will
mistake their finds for candy. In addition to strawberry, crystal meth
also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry and orange versions.

Deana OMalley, education specialist for the East Texas Council on
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, has talked to school-age kids about the
drugs and has also listened to what the kids have heard about it on
the street.

‘They are asking questions about it. They hear people talking
about it. Most of them know what it looks like' she said. OMalley said
she has not heard of ‘candy meth being in the Texarkana area.
But just because she has not heard about it doesnt mean it is not
here. She advises children to be careful any time someone offers them
candy and they dont know where it comes from.

‘I tell them to not even take candy from their best friend
because you dont know where they got it' she said. Bowie County
Sheriff James Prince, who has spoken at a number of community meetings
about the dangers of meth, encourages parents to be aware of what
their children are doing. ‘Weve got to keep our eyes completely
open to the drug culture whether its flavored or regular meth and
fight it every way we can' he said.

Prince encourages parents to find out who their childrens friends are.
He also warns parents to watch for any changes in their childs
personality. ‘One of the biggest signs something is wrong is if
they start avoiding the people they are closest to' Prince said.

Responding to reports of methamphetamine being flavored with powdered
drink mixes and other products, U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark.,
recently introduced a bill increasing the mandatory minimum sentences
for those caught making the drug in sweetened form. Boozmans bill
would increase fines and jail time rules for those convicted of
cooking methamphetamine drugs designed to appeal to minors because of
its packaging, coloring or flavor. The bill would double the current
mandatory sentences. Under the bill, a person caught with 50 grams or
more would face a minimum 20-year prison sentence for their first offense.

Fines could range up to $8 million for an individual or $20 million
for an organization.

Someone caught with 5 grams could face a five-to 40-year sentence,
and upward of a $2 million individual fine or a $10 million
organizational fine. In the U.S. Senate, Sens. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced a bill in April to
double or triple penalties in cases where a dealer alters meth to make
it more appealing for those under 21.