Earlier this March, DEA agents announced the arrest of two men in California. One and a half pounds of the cocaine seized was flavored, with lemon, strawberry, cinnamon, or coconut.

“Attempting to lure new, younger customers to a dangerous drug by adding candy ‘flavors’ is an unconscionable marketing technique. Cocaine is cocaine and jail time is jail time, no matter how you flavor it,” stated DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gordon Taylor.

Several thoughts ran through my head as I read about this bust. First of all, without insult to Special Agent Taylor, I have doubts as to whether this is meant to be marketed to kids — I see it much more likely to be a tribute to our high-tech trendy hipster-style culture. After all, I’ve previously mentioned the pink phenomena in marketing to grown women — why not pink coke? We’re from a generation where we pre-flavor our vodka, fer Chrissakes [pun]; flavoring our drug of choice seems the next logical step.

The next weird thought I have is: Isn’t this supposed to be snorted? The idea of sniffing lemon or cinnamon into my nostrils just screams pain. What the heck are they flavoring this with? I remember playing around in second-grade with a couple of friends snorting Pixy Stix: Let me tell you, that burns! Not only did it burn, but I was sneezing pink for the next several hours. Who would think that was a good idea?

Or is this cocaine specially meant to be rubbed on the gums? Sprinkled on donuts? Used in icing? What?

Did the feds confiscate someone’s Easter candy?

According to the DEA, the flavored cocaine was selling for twice as much as the regular kind.

The price of regular cocaine ranged from approximately $600-$700 per ounce, while the flavored cocaine ranged from $1,100 - $1,400 per ounce. Court documents describe the “strawberry” flavored cocaine as pink in color, the “cinnamon” flavor an off-white/tan color, while the “coconut” flavored cocaine appeared to be a fine white powdery substance with a coconut-like odor.

Before you get excited about this hot new drug, Gridskipper points out this has been happening in California for years. TMZ (quality news source) has reports of strawberry cocaine from back in 2006. Buzzfeed has a page not only dedicated to flavored cocaine, but to candy flavored meth. The DEA has often found drugs in candy, such as heroine or MDMA in lollipops. Still, it will be curious to see if the next downtown Morgantown drug bust includes powdered sugar and flavoring vials.

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