New fear for parents: candy-flavored meth.

Byline: Andrea Damewood The Register-Guard

The fruity flavoring of strawberry, grape and watermelon are perennial favorites in countless sugary delights.

And now, those kid-friendly tastes are turning up in another product: methamphetamine.

Reports of strawberry and other candy-flavored meth have surfaced in Lane County, reflecting national accounts of the drug's use, causing concern for some local police and substance abuse experts who say the target market could be children.

Sheriff's deputies have discovered the flavored crystals twice, most recently during a drug bust this month in Springfield.

There was no evidence that dealers were marketing it to children, sheriff's Sgt. Clint Riley said.

"It's something that parents should be concerned about, be aware of and educated about, but I don't think we should be in panic mode either," Riley said. "It's definitely something to keep our eye on. But what it means, I don't know."

Methamphetamine, a highly addictive chemical stimulant, usually is white or brown in color, and is snorted, smoked or injected. Those who inhale the drug experience a strong bitter, acidic flavor in their throats or nasal cavities.

Strawberry meth, often called "Strawberry Quick," adds sweetness to the drug, making it more enticing for inexperienced users, Eugene police narcotics Sgt. J.R. Webber said.

"You could kind of liken it to menthol cigarettes or cherry chewing tobacco," Webber said. "It's to broaden their horizons."

He said drug traffickers want to attract younger customers, and to do so, have devised a "package and label" that will appeal to youths.

Eugene and Springfield police say they have not encountered flavored meth, which is colored red or other confectionery colors.

Nationwide, the flavored crystals have been reported in Washington, California and Idaho, along with some states in the Midwest and South.

But Webber said that just because his team hasn't come across the drug doesn't mean it's not present.

"Hopefully, it was just kind of an outside thing that happened, but who knows?" he said. "We have so few people investigating narcotics that we're not going to see everything that's out there."

Youth counselors say they haven't heard any mention of Strawberry Quick.

The prospect still "angers and frightens" Rob Cook, senior counselor at the John Serbu Youth Campus, where he said the majority of the children face alcohol or drug problems - addictions that pose additional hazards to developing brains and bodies.

"If you make it more appealing to possibly get more people doing it, there's going to be a huge fallout," Cook said.

"If you have something that is as devastating as meth is to our society and you make it more palatable or more attractive, it's just going to continue its effects."

Still, it's not common for a fifth-grader to be handed a baggie of drugs at school, he said.

Most of the drug-addicted youths in his program, which average ages 12 to 18, either have parents who do drugs or get it from older peers, Cook said.

"If youths are doing meth at a really young age, it usually reflects that their parents are doing it," he said. "Or if they're not, they're really not paying attention to what their children are doing."

Springfield police Sgt. Brent Carpenter agreed: "Anybody that's going to try a drug like meth, my guess is they'd have at least some visual on it, seen somebody doing it."

Police say the best thing concerned parents can do is talk to their children about drugs, including strawberry meth, which can resemble pop rocks or rock candy.

Webber, of the Eugene police, said he regularly has conversations with his daughter.

"My daughter's 8 years old and I talk to her about it," he said. "I show her pictures, so she knows what's out there."

WARNING SIGNS

These are indications that a person may be using methamphetamine:

Alertness or inability to sleep

Nervous activity, including scratching or picking at skin

Decreased appetite

Increased respiration and/or body temperature

Wild mood swings, which can include violence and aggression

Track marks, nosebleeds or burn marks

- Partnership for a Drug-Free America

Oregon State Police