Does this 'strawberry candy' sold in Dubai have narcotics?

The Dubai Police, during a Press conference on Tuesday, denied reports that a candy, popular among young children, contained narcotics.
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The police said that rumours had been taking rounds that a candy nicknamed 'strawberry quick' contained traces of narcotics had caused panic in schools and among parents, and warned that action will be taken against those who spread such wrong information.
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Colonel Eid Mohammad Thani Hareb, director of the Anti-Narcotics Department, assured that there had been no complaints from schools or parents about the candy and no seizures of any kind of candy had been made in the recent past.
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The conference was attended by Lt-Col. Ahmed Matar Al Muhairi, Head, General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai Police, and Khaled Ibrahim Rashid, head of school operations at the Ministry of Education in Dubai.
Colonel Eid said it was necessary to hold the conference, which comes by the directives of Major-General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police for Criminal Investigation, to emphasise the keenness of the leadership of the Dubai Police to provide transparent information to the public.
He urged parents to confirm the truth on such matters with the authorities before passing on the information to others, thus contributing to the panic.
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Dr Fuad Tarbah, senior forensic toxicologist and director of Training, Research and Development Department at Dubai Police's Forensics Science and Criminology Department, said the candy contained a substance called miraculin, extracted from a fruit called 'miracle fruit'. He added that the said candies contain the dehydrated pulp of the fresh berries and that it does not have any psychotropic effect nor does it lead to weight loss. However, it can help in weight loss as it helps reduce sugar intake.
He added that youngsters should be careful about excessive use of such products, including chocolates.
Police warning
The police cautioned against children using drugs that cause health problems and affect their immunity. Parents should have proper control over their children and should be aware of their activities, said Colonel Hareb.
He urged parents to look out for signs like behavioural changes, rapid weight loss, falling grades and reluctance to go to school.
He said that since the beginning of this year, 216 awareness lectures had been organised and 21,487 people had benefitted out of them. He added that the police department has liaison officers who coordinate with various government and private schools in Dubai, to exchange views and report any disturbing case.
amira@khaleejtimes.com