I would firstly like to dedicate this blog to a friend of mine whom I found out had died of an overdose last week. The pull of addiction is strong and the gamut of reasoning within an addict as to why you need ‘just one more’ hit is even stronger. But sometimes that ‘just one more’ . . . is the one too many. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Hearing news like this never gets easier and that’s why I will continue to bring the deplorable effects of drug addiction to the forefront of people’s minds - no matter how shocking the content.
However, it would seem that the infiltration age of the drug user is getting younger and younger. Have any of you read the papers of late which documents the horrors of Strawberry Tik? Even I, who has seen pretty much anything a dealer can come up with, is shocked.
Strawberry Tik is being used by drug dealers to hook kids as young as 5 into taking this dangerous and deadly drug. It would seem that now dealers use food colouring and flavouring to mask the appearance of the drug which then resembles strawberry Nesquick in both look and flavour. Cape Flats residents who have heard about the drug say it’s been around since last year but they have kept it quiet. According to one article a community activist and Mitchells Plain resident says primary school children have become easy targets for “Strawberry Quick” dealers. Younger users mean long-time buyers for dealers. In fact, it’s a rather effective marketing plan.
It has become ever more crucial that we educate kids of all ages and demographics on the perils of drugs, what they should look out for and exactly what will happen to them if they choose to explore the world of drugs in graphic detail. Simply delivering a message of ‘drugs are bad’ is just not enough. If kids feel they are old enough to think about dabbling in drugs or are drug-curious, they are old enough to be exposed to the horrors of what a full-blown drug addict goes through.
The forthcoming blogs will detail in all its gory detail what a full-blown addict and their family goes through. I don’t want any more phone calls about crack claiming another precious life.
http://www.pretorianews.co.za/dealers-target-kids-with-strawberry-tik-1.1079792
