Published: October 30, 2007 08:43 am      

Rumor about meth pop rocks has some truth

Rumors have been swirling on the Internet for a few months — beware of a crystalline substance that passes itself off as a candy known as “pop rocks” but is really methamphetamine.

One Web site known for checking out urban legends — www.snopes.com — lists the status of this tale as “partly true.”

Corsicana Police Chief G.M. Cox said he’s heard the rumor.

“I’ve just checked with our criminal investigation division and we have not had any (pop rocks) cases here,” Cox said.

According to snopes.com, the substance first popped up in Arizona this past January when a dark pink batch of crystal meth was seized in a known gang member’s apartment. Law enforcement doesn’t generally check for artificial flavoring — according to the Web site and from Cox — so whether or not this was a manufacturing defect or an intentional act isn’t known.

In fact, the Web site says that part of the urban tale can’t be verified, given the lack of testing for flavors. Colored methamphetamine has been found in California, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Missouri, and here in Texas, the snopes.com report states.

Part of the Web site’s investigation of the tale lists a story from North Carolina earlier this month, where a law enforcement agency there seized a colored methamphetamine that officers stated smelled like strawberries.

“The particular sadness of this is that the dopers could be targeting a very young customer base,” Cox said Monday. “I would tell parents to be very careful with any crystal substance and I hear they’re using all kinds of different colors, so please pay attention.”

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Loyd Cook may be contacted via e-mail at lcook@corsicanadailysun.com