'Strawberry Quick' warnings shared online by Black Country residents is resurfaced 'hoax'
A number of letters, purporting to be from schools around the West Midlands, have 'warned' parents about a drug being circulated among children - but it has turned out to be a hoax.
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One social media post, which showed a letter from a school in Bloxwich, warned parents about pink pills shaped like teddy bears, which have become known under the name "Strawberry Quick".
The letter, which included a fake statement "from West Midlands Police", claimed the drug "is a type of crystal meth" that children have apparently been "rushed to hospital in a serious condition" after ingesting.
It went on to show an image of the "drug" and urged parents to ensure their children don't accept them from strangers or friends.
However, these claims are a recycled hoax from the US, which first surfaced in 2007.
A Snopes fact-check from April 29, 2007, debunks claims that drug dealers are selling coloured and flavoured crystal methamphetamine known as “Strawberry Quick” to children in the US, which further confirms that it is an old hoax that has been revived.
The images resurfaced in 2017 when it was used as a stock image in The Sun for a drugs incident in Manchester and again in 2025 as schools in India reportedly ran awareness campaigns after allegedly falling victim to the hoax, according to a News Checker fact check.
