After a long night of candy collecting on Halloween night, a 14 year old sits down and looks over his loot. Spotting some easy to eat, unpacked candy, he begins to gorge on the delicious treats. Soon after, he was rushed to the hospital.
A problem that has been concerning a lot of people worldwide for years is drugged candy. During the season of eating, how does this impact teens?

Parents around the globe have been perturbed about drug laced candy for years. Teens and children can unknowingly consume drugs by means of innocent candy. When asked why someone would ruin a holiday that is looked forward to by so many kids and teens alike, a concerned local parent simply answers, “Evil mindedness.”

Drugged Candy and Candy Flavored Drugs

From gummies and lollipops, the suspicion of drugs in candy has been around for years and it has become more that just suspicion. According to snopes.com, ‘In early 2007, warnings began to circulate about sweetened and flavored forms of methamphetamine known as “Strawberry Quick” … Various new accounts about Strawberry Quick first reported it appearing in western states in January 2007 and described it as resembling rock candy or Pop Rocks. Not only that, but in June of 2017, “meth-infused lollipops were seized in one million Texas bust,” as the Washington post states. On top of that, in Florida, “the deadly street drug ‘flakka’ showed up in a scary new form as candy.”

When faced with the question, “How do you think teens come into contact with drug laced candy,” a local teacher stated, “One way that teens can come into contact with drug laced candy is through Halloween.” A student at Somerset Academy Canyons responded, “Well I think that teens are influenced just by being around certain people and it just makes them do bad things and maybe just reading stuff that promotes that can influence a way someone can look at that type of stuff.”

What does this lead to?

These drugged candies have potential to become gateway drugs, which can lead to addiction. That’s not even the beginning. According to netdoctor.co.uk, “Depressive symptoms may develop, as a direct result of taking drugs or as part of withdrawal…” Anxiety may also develop. Everydayhealth.com states that “Chemicals in drugs can affect the way the brain functions and cause anxiety symptoms…”

When asked, “How do you think drugged candy may, or may not, lead to other teen issues, such as addictions, depression, et cetera,” a local parent stated, “By serving as a gateway drug.” A Somerset Academy Canyons student answered, “Once you start something like that, it leads to addictions and it can lead to depression because you know it is wrong and you get into an awful mental state.” A local teacher responded, “It would be a gateway drug that could lead to addictions and when you stop, it could lead to depression.”

As a local Somerset Academy Canyons student stated, “In my opinion, drugs can lead to bad things; one thing leads to another… it can harm them both mentally and physically.”