A dangerous trend is going on among kids and it involves the popular candy Smarties. Buying Smarties may seem normal and harmless but some kids buy them not to eat them but to snort them.
The odd trend started in 2007 with several individuals, including a radio DJ in Wisconsin, posting their snorting videos on YouTube. The trend is apparently going on around the country right now and school officials are sending notes to parents to warn about them.
Although the candy does not have any addictive ingredient and does not make people high, Smarties-snorting kids is something parents should worry about as the practice can cause serious health problems such as infections and scarring of nasal cavity.
"Anytime you snort or inhale a substance into your lungs that is not meant to be it is definitely hazardous to your health and could have significant health consequences for individuals," Rebecca Boss of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare told WABC-TV.
Erie County Health Commissioner Gail Burstein also warned of the potential fatal consequences of snorting or smoking the powderized candy. "If the Smarties do end up getting into the lung, then that can also cause infection," Gail said. "It is an irritant; it can cause wheezing and maybe chronic cough and asthma and sinus complications. And, ultimately, if someone is allergic to sugar or the contents of Smarties, then they could end up having an anaphylactic reaction and dying."
Schools are adopting measures to prevent and stop the trend. In Frontier Middle School, where 15 students were caught sniffing crushed Smarties candies, staff members were told to confiscate Smarties candies from the students. A student at Porterdale Elementary School, on the other hand, was suspended for inhaling Smarties through his nose, and parents of Portsmouth Middle School students received an email from school officials that gave them an idea how some students ingest the sugar candy i.e crushing it into powder and either snorting it or smoking it.
Parents are advised to be involved as well. Jodie Altman, director of adolescent clinical services for Alcohol & Drug Dependency Services Inc., said that it is crucial that parents take interest in their children's lives. "Their room is in your house. You need to ask questions. You need to look; you need to pay attention," she said. "You need to be a step ahead, because they're always a step ahead of us."
