No strawberry meth but parents told to watch kids

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 clarified yesterday that strawberry quick or strawberry meth, a kind of illegal drug that has been likened to a candy and has gained popularity outside the country, has not entered the Philippines.

The agency, nevertheless, advised parents to be vigilant, especially that children are reportedly the target of the drug.

“Amo lang i-assure ang public, especially ang ginikanan nga wala pa tay na-seize ana nga klase sa drugas. Wala pay naka sulod nga mga bag-ong klase sa drugas diri sa nasud apan dili ta mokumpyansa gihapon (We would like to assure the public, especially the parents, that we have not seized that kind of drug. No new drug has entered the country but it doesn’t mean we can be complacent),” said PDEA-7 Public Information Officer Leia Albiar-Alcantara.

Alcantara said they have monitored messages circulating on Facebook that call on parents to keep an eye on their children.

“They are calling it strawberry meth or strawberry quick. Kids are ingesting this thinking that it is candy,” one post reads.

Those who take it reportedly become unconscious.

So far, Alcantara said, PDEA has only identified shabu and marijuana as the ones being sold in the streets and that can potentially penetrate campuses.

“Dili lang ta mo-kompyansa… mao nang among gi-awhag ang mga ginikanan nga continuous lang gihapon ang monitoring especially kining mga drugas nga ato nang nailhan… mga shabu and marijuana kay posible gyud kaayo nga naay makasulod nga mahimong targeton kini ang atong mga eskwelahan ug atong mga estudyante,” she said.

Next week, PDEA-7 will visit schools to educate students, as well as the parents, of the effect of the illegal drug use. —  JMO (FREEMAN)