Received this today. Article about heroin and meth being produced so that it is attractive to kids. I have included the link to the article.
Seems valid. Should check it out and be informed.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271215,00.html
Here is the body of the email I received. A little more/different information.
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.
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 (even if they don't have kids) so that we can raise awareness and hopefully prevent any tragedies from occurring.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271215,00.html
So, I never really understood why drug dealers would try and give drugs to kids. I thought drug dealers want to make money on drugs (you know, so they can spend it on their gardening tools). Why would they spend extra money making the drugs "tasty" and then give it away? Especially if the kids are going to die? I mean, is the thought to make the kids get addicted and then start stealing money from their parents to buy the "candy"? Then why would they make the drugs potent enough so the kids die? That's just killing your business.
This questions is a little hypothetical, but I guess I don't think like a drug dealer. Or maybe drug dealers are just really dumb. These types of e-mail warnings come out quite often, so surely something like this is really happening... but I just don't get it.
It's out there.. and our town is pretty safe so far I think.. but you can not be too sure.. so make sure they don't take anything from a stranger.
Drug dealers? Kids of today have more money than sometimes the junkies on the street. and dealers don't care WHO lives or dies.. as long as they get their money for the surplus that they have.
Kids today have so much more stress and pressure than we had and we had more than the generation before us and so on and so on. Drug use can happen in any family .. no matter how good of a parent you have been and how stable your family is.. etc.. but also I see the family structure going to hell in general which is part of the reason kids turn to drugs. trouble at home.. sadness..wanting to escape... Peer pressure ..wanting to be in the in crowd or the cool crowd and needed to feel like they fit in somewhere. .
Family's are scattered to the winds even if the parent's are to together. Kids alot of the time don't know their cousins aunts and uncles ..rarely see their grandparents.. or don't have any close knit family connections. Family's eat fast food on the run.. no one sets at the table anymore and has family meal time to talk about their day.. There is less and less hugs and kisses to kids of all ages in a family.. Using more tv as an excuse NOT to parent and communicate with your children young and old. Always thinking something HAS TO DONE..when they should stop and take some time with their precious gifts no matter how old. Talk and more than talk.. LISTEN. LISTEN to them and be open about listening. .. Kids are just treated like an afterthought in a lot of familys. I see more and more irrational screaming parents ..and it makes me sick to my stomach.
Kjell worked in a division of the Narcotics dept in Norway ..and he trained the drug dogs.. Their world is a scary, dangerous and unpredictable lifestyle. The "drug" is all that matters to the buyer and the money is all that matters to the seller.
Our small town is not exempt from drug problems. We just don't have the gang members and the hoods standing on the street corners waiting for some one to make a sale .
I guess when I've read these e-mails in the past, it looks like they're targeting little kids, like under 7th grade (even 1st or 2nd graders). Lollipops, gum, etc. That's why I was asking about why they thought kids this age actually had money to spend on stuff like that.
They sent out a warning here last year about this crap.
QuoteFamily's are scattered to the winds even if the parent's are to together. Kids alot of the time don't know their cousins aunts and uncles ..rarely see their grandparents.. or don't have any close knit family connections. Family's eat fast food on the run.. no one sets at the table anymore and has family meal time to talk about their day.. There is less and less hugs and kisses to kids of all ages in a family.. Using more tv as an excuse NOT to parent and communicate with your children young and old. Always thinking something HAS TO DONE..when they should stop and take some time with their precious gifts no matter how old. Talk and more than talk.. LISTEN. LISTEN to them and be open about listening. .. Kids are just treated like an afterthought in a lot of familys.
Not all families Teresa, there are a lot of us who are raisin our kids the way we were raised so hope ain't lost
QuoteWe just don't have the gang members and the hoods standing on the street corners waiting for some one to make a sale .
No they are out in somebodys barn or garage :P They are everywhere, all you can do is raise your kids good and have faith in their intelligence. It worked for me so far.
Your gangs and hoods may look different than those popularized by tv, but if you have drugs you have them. Many of the gangs from the city have moved to very rural areas to open up a new market. They are not as far away as you may think. They have been under assault from Federal\Big City law enforcement for a long time. The rural turf has a certain appeal.
David
Sorry, but I feel compelled to respond. If people do not think there is meth in Elk county they have their heads in the sand. It is everywhere. It was there 30 years ago, but the stuff today is so much more dangerous. In the 1980s the drug was 30-35% pure, now it is 90% pure. And you can't blame it on the parents. Unfortunately drug users come from the best of families with the best of parents. However, it does take tough caring parents to stick by them until they get their life back together.
and yes, they give it to kids, the kids like it, they come back for more but have to pay the 2nd time. Unfortunately, it can be so potent they don't realize it was too much until its too late. A very, very sad situation.
Thanks David for the post. Another thing that worries me is the Air in a can stuff. I know of high schoolers who puff that stuff. It is dumb to do this. I haven't actually seen them do this, but have heard. But if this makes you feel better, I think that the elementary schools are doing much better at keeping the kids aware of drugs. My daughter all the time tells her Grandma that smokes that she is doing a drug. Kinda funny!!
My smoing isn't good for my health, but to think it compares to meth or hard drugs is so foolish.
Kids' critical thinking skills are not yet developed, so being able to weigh one thing against another is very hard. They really don't understand the subtleties of something being more bad or less bad. That's why kids tattle on each other. It's either bad or it isn't. It's up to responsible adults in kids lives to help sort out this kind of thing.
From the keeper of the Sudafed, believe me, meth is definitely here.
I never lived in Howard though I spent holidays and spent many extended visits in the summer with my Aunt Velda. I was a city boy. During the 60's and 70's when I grew up in the midwest we were the first kids to have anti drug education in school from a very early age. The first drug users I saw were in Howard during those years. Then I moved to California. I have been to
South Central LA and seen the turf of the Blood, Crips, Norteno, La Familia, Aryan, and MC13 gangs. What I have and will say again: these gangs are in your town and you should fight it now and not let it reach the level I saw in L.A. Rural America is the new market and pressure in the cities and high rural demand has already brought them to you. Meth is not a problem in my city. In rural California and Kansas it is. Learn from our mistakes. Off my soapbox for now.
David
This was written by a young Indian girl who was in jail for drug charges, and was addicted to meth. She wrote this while in jail. As you will soon read, she fully grasped the horrors of the drug, as she tells in this simple, yet profound poem. She was released from jail, but, true to her story, the drug owned her. They found her dead not long after.
My name: "Is Meth"
I destroy homes, I tear families apart,
Take your children, and that's just the start.
I'm more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold,
The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold.
If you need me, remember I'm easily found,
I live all around you – in schools and in town.
I live with the rich; I live with the poor,
I live down the street, and maybe next door.
I'm made in a lab, but not like you think,
I can be made under the kitchen sink.
In your child's closet, and even in the woods,
If this scares you to death, well it certainly should.
I have many names, but there's one you know best,
I'm sure you've heard of me, my name is crystal meth.
My power is awesome; try me you'll see,
But if you do, you may never break free.
Just try me once and I might let you go,
But try me twice, and I'll own your soul.
When I possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie,
You'll do what you have to – just to get high.
The crimes you'll commit for my narcotic charms
Will be worth the pleasure you'll feel in your arms.
You'll lie to your mother; you'll steal from your dad,
When you see their tears, you should feel sad.
But you'll forget your morals and how you were raised,
I'll be your conscience, I'll teach you my ways.
I take kids from parents, and parents from kids,
I turn people from God, and separate friends.
I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride.
I'll be with you always – right by your side.
You'll give up everything – your family, your home,
Your friends, your money, then you'll be alone.
I'll take and take, till you have nothing more to give,
When I'm finished with you, you'll be lucky to live.
If you try me be warned – this is no game,
If given the chance, I'll drive you insane.
I'll own you completely, your soul will be mine.
The nightmares I'll give you while lying in bed,
The voices you'll hear, from inside your head.
The sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see,
I want you to know, these are all gifts from me.
But then it's too late, and you'll know in your heart,
That you are mine, and we shall not part.
You'll regret that you tried me, they always do,
But you came to me, not I to you.
You knew this would happen, many times you were told,
But you challenged my power, and chose to be bold.
You could have said no, and just walked away,
If you could live that day over, now what would you say?
I'll be your master, you will be my slave,
I'll even go with you, when you go to your grave.
Now that you have met me, what will you do?
Will you try me or not? It's all up to you.
I can bring you more misery than words can tell,
Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell.
Folks, you can tell if meth is available in your area. Simply listen closely and note if there are petty thefts going on. It is a certain sign that desperation has set in and some suckers have fallen for the glorys of that drug. There cannot be a single soul who has not been warned of the absolute danger of that drug yet it continues to be manufactured everywhere. There have been labs busted right here in Moline, and probably elsewhere in the county. We do not have enough watchful people or enough people who know enough to be alarmed when there is activity around a residence at all hours, when there are signs of unwarranted wealth. The cookers depend upon the good people to not turn them in because it is not their business to report on a neighbor, or report on their neighbors' business. Sigh---- I don't know the answer I guess, except it is our duty to stick out our neck and really care for our fellow voyagers.