# New trend: smoking candy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 11, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002 "2009-05-11T06:21:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/1 "2009-05-11T06:21:55Z")
I seen this on our local news channel a few days ago. Kids today are getting high off of smoking or snorting smarties, and there are plenty of youtube videos that show them doing so. Do a search engine. Just wanted to give a heads up to parents, and also see if anyone else has heard of this yet. I haven’t seen any national news coverage of it, just my local, but I don’t stayed glued to the TV set, perhaps they have shown some segments. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/2 "2009-05-11T06:26:09Z")
This isn’t new. The moral outrage may be new, but the practice of making a Pixie Stick look like a cigarette is quite old indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/3 "2009-05-11T06:26:52Z")
What’s the problem? There’s nothing addictive or harmful in a candy so why is snorting or smoking it any worse than just plain popping it? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/4 "2009-05-11T06:28:09Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > What’s the problem? There’s nothing addictive or harmful in a candy so why is snorting or smoking it any worse than just plain popping it? In theory, the sugar could enter a lung and do some damage there. That’s just barely a valid concern but, frankly, letting the kid get into a car is a far worse danger. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/5 "2009-05-11T06:33:58Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > This isn’t new. The moral outrage may be new, but the practice of making a Pixie Stick look like a cigarette is quite old indeed. Or hell, remember when they actually _sold_ candy cigarettes? It’s funny, I used to get pissed off when I went to the store and they didn’t have my “brand”. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/6 "2009-05-11T06:41:10Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > Or hell, remember when they actually _sold_ candy cigarettes? It’s funny, I used to get pissed off when I went to the store and they didn’t have my “brand”. Candy cigarettes were fun. I’m looking at a pack of Death Row bubble gum cigarettes right now, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/7 "2009-05-11T10:20:08Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > Kids today are getting high off of smoking or snorting smarties, and there are plenty of youtube videos that show them doing so. They are not getting high. They are crushing it into powder and puffing it so it looks like smoke. They are doing it to look cool/be funny/piss off adults. There is no secret drug in Smarties, just sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/8 "2009-05-11T14:54:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > They are not getting high. They are crushing it into powder and puffing it so it looks like smoke. They are doing it to look cool/be funny/piss off adults. There is no secret drug in Smarties, just sugar. That’s good. I only seen one segment, so my bad in that I thought they were getting high. I also didn’t know the smoke was just crushed up dust. I really paid attention, eh? I used to enjoy candy cigarettes as a kid, and that never led me into the real thing as an adult. Hopefully, these kids emulating adults smoking and snorting doesn’t lead them into anything more serious either. Not sure that there couldn’t be some potential health problems inhaling the sugary dust into the lungs and exhaling it through the nose, some doctors raise concern, but I won’t put it on defcon 2 alert now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/9 "2009-05-11T15:00:37Z")
Do you guys remember the chewing-tobacco bubblegum? It had a baseball player on the front and was shredded and green (?!). Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/10 "2009-05-11T15:14:35Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > Do you guys remember the chewing-tobacco bubblegum? It had a baseball player on the front and was shredded and green (?!). Yum. [Big League Chew](http://www.wrigley.com/brands/big_league_chew.do), baby. I loved that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/11 "2009-05-11T18:11:32Z")
Here is a good [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jfJ10O_FTg&feature=PlayList&p=BFCCAC9ED9DFBDF6&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2) demo. I like how serious the kid is when he explains everything. From a short internet search, it appears that frequent use could lead to an infection. In rare cases there is a possibility of worms that will feed on the sugar. The problem lies mostly with sugar getting into your nose. It doesn’t look like it will kill you. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/12 "2009-05-12T10:54:17Z")
What’s with this “used to”? You can still buy candy cigarettes. I have a pregnant friend who is obsessed with them. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/13 "2009-05-12T12:50:24Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > [Big League Chew](http://www.wrigley.com/brands/big_league_chew.do), baby. I loved that stuff. I did too. I remember one time my grandmother wouldn’t buy it for me because it was boys’ gum, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/14 "2009-05-14T04:04:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What’s with this “used to”? You can still buy candy cigarettes. I have a pregnant friend who is obsessed with them. If you’re making reference to me, I said I used to buy them. I didn’t say they quit making them. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/15 "2009-05-14T18:13:42Z")
The good ol days 🆒 > **[Candy Cigarettes - OldTimeCandy.com](https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-candy-cigarettes)** > > Each pack of Candy Cigarettes has 10 white candy sticks ready to be rolled up in your T-shirt sleeve. What about some Candy DirtyBombs or even Candy Swine Flue Hey better yet…Candy “Fun Size” Nuclear Armegeddon Everyone loves candy :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![eveanyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@eveanyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eveanyn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/16 "2009-05-15T07:37:46Z")
Sugar particles in the lungs really sounds like a bad idea. When I was a kid, popeye candy cigarettes were my favourite. The gum ones tasted like crap. ---
**Author:** ![Maui\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Maui\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maui_Lion)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/17 "2009-05-15T21:58:15Z")
Oh like you guys haven’t snorted pixie stix powder before. I mean really, I’m not the only one to do it and have colored snot for an hour. Am I? …Guys?.. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/18 "2009-05-15T22:14:37Z")
> [@Maui\_Lion](#): > > Oh like you guys haven’t snorted pixie stix powder before. I mean really, I’m not the only one to do it and have colored snot for an hour. > > Am I? > > …Guys?.. :dubious: Not me. I went straight to Kent cigarettes.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/19 "2009-05-16T17:11:42Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > [Big League Chew](http://www.wrigley.com/brands/big_league_chew.do), baby. I loved that stuff. I know it isn’t exactly candy but remember the beef jerky “snuff”? Shredded beef jerky in a round container made to look like snuff. ---
**Author:** ![Maui\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Maui\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maui_Lion)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002/20 "2009-05-16T18:46:30Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Not me. I went straight to Kent cigarettes.:smack: My Grandpa used to buy me bubblegum cigarettes much to the dismay of my Grandma, who would tell him not to buy them for me in case I started feeling like having cigarettes for real later in life. He’d roll his eyes, dismiss that immediately, and buy them for me in front of her face. Yeah, he was cool that way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-trend-smoking-candy/496002.md?page=2)