Officials Warn Of Kids Selling Dangerous New Street Drug 'Paint' At School

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (KOVR-TV) — School officials in California are warning parents about students selling a new psychedelic street drug called "Paint."

Nation Caramazza was stunned after a letter was sent home by Mesa Verde High School administrators in Citrus Heights. Her son, Cipper, is a sophomore at the school. The letter is alerting parents about students secretly selling the new street drug. They say Paint is a pill with psychedelic effects and is known to be highly addictive.

"I'm thinking, 'How on Earth are kids getting a hold of that?' " she told KOVR-TV in Sacramento. "These things can be really dangerous because you don't know what's in them."

Thankfully, Cipper hasn't encountered the drug, but he's worried that he might find himself in a potentially dangerous situation.

"No one's tried to sell it to me, but I've had friends say that people are trying to sell it to them and it's scary because I'm like, 'What if someone tries to sell it to me' and things go haywire because I say no," Cipper said.

Jamilla Wren also has a sophomore at the school. The letter also has her on edge. "I feel that we don't have any control over our youth, they're just out of control," she said. "You have to pray over your children. You have to pray and you have to teach your children that it's not appropriate."

School officials are urging parents engage in conversation with their kids about Paint. The drug is said to sell for only $5 for a pill. Parents are being asked to teach their kids the dangers of street drugs.

"That's really scary and it's especially scary to think that someone went out of their way to introduce this to this smaller school," Nation said.

The drug is described as a clear pill capsule with red/brown dust. School administrators say they're making progress in their investigation but they're asking for any additional information from students.