I'm almost dumb enough just to try one. Almost.

May 13, 2008 5:34 PM

Help me identify this pill.

I stumbled on a pile of these pills in a drawer where some children could and probably did have the chance get to them. They're neon, yellowy green, with a J printed on one side - if there weren't 40 of them, all the same, I'd assume they were candy. Which they might be. But I might end up having to deal with medical repercussions here - if they look familiar to you, I could really use some clues.

Photo 1

Photo 2

posted by Simon! to health (28 comments total)

Those look like recreational pills. Speed? ecstasy?
What you need is a guinea pig. Most drug addicts will be happy to try mystery pills.
posted by PowerCat at 5:46 PM on May 13

If it is a prescription pill, the drug identifier at drugs.com doesn't recognize it. Nor does the one at healthline.
posted by procrastination at 5:49 PM on May 13

Seconding ecstasy.
posted by phunniemee at 5:51 PM on May 13

it's hard to tell from the pics, but they look mottled in color/composition. that would make me guess that they were cheaply pressed recreational pills.
posted by gnutron at 5:52 PM on May 13

Compare to ecstacy pills.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 5:53 PM on May 13

Posting for my girlfriend, who is a Pharmacy Tech in the United States:
drugs.com and healthline are for US drugs. As the poster is located in Canada, the sites are nearly impotent, unless the pill in question is not a generic, which seems unlikely.
posted by ktrey at 5:54 PM on May 13

Either ecstasy or something else pretending to be ecstasy. Note the resemblance to a sizeable number of pills on this page in the last month alone. Don't pop one, could be speed or whatever else.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 6:01 PM on May 13

Being an addict, my first and strongest thought is ecstasy....the bright color and size are very similar to most ecstasy i've seen...the one difference is that the press isn't readily recognizable...at least not to me....not sure as to your level of familiarity with them, but most images pressed on them are dolphins, brand logos, guns, smiley faces, things like that....not sure what the heck that impression is....almost looks like a J from the side...dancesafe.org and pillreports.com are sites where people have tested their pills for quality - i.e. have it tested for the presence of mdma (among other chemicals) - think they used to have people send in their pills for testing, but if i remember correctly, now they just sell the testing kits....i doubt the curiosity extends to purchasing an ecstasy testing kit though... :)
posted by Hogermite at 6:01 PM on May 13

Just a guess but, Jone soda candy?

That was my first guess after E, but I couldn't find any pill reports with that print.
posted by sunshinesky at 6:02 PM on May 13 [1 favorite]

upon looking, it's TOTALLY a jones soda "J" but, this of course does not guarantee it's not ecstasy- give it a lick, maybe? If it is a drug, that shouldn't kill you, and if it's candy you'll know!
posted by sunshinesky at 6:04 PM on May 13 [1 favorite]

If I read you right, and you're concerned that a child did get access to those pills, call the Ontario Poison Centre: [phone].
posted by mendel at 6:05 PM on May 13

I'm convinced
posted by sunshinesky at 6:08 PM on May 13

Jones Soda Candy: flickr
posted by jabberjaw at 6:09 PM on May 13

I got the apple green Jones Soda carbonated candy as a gift. It's them. Flickr pictures and the typeface pretty much solidify it for me.
posted by mnology at 6:12 PM on May 13

Poison Centre?!?

Those are Green Apple flavor Jones Soda Carbonated Candy.

I suppose it's possible somebody made a speed pill that looks just like Green Apple flavor Jones Soda Carbonated Candy but why bother?

You could taste one and see if it is, in fact, Jones Candy. It's not like tasting it will make you take off all your clothes and dance around with glow sticks even if it isn't candy.

But still: Jones Candy.
posted by Justinian at 6:13 PM on May 13

(note: if its speed/ecstasy/whatever tasting it would tell your right off the bat. That shit tastes BITTER and NASTY. You could not mistake it for candy.)
posted by Justinian at 6:14 PM on May 13

first, drugs are bad for you. just look at all the reports on fen-phen, avandia, and rampant celebrity painkiller addiction.

danger, will robinson.

second, a little more info, please...like, whose drawer? likelihood that a dealer (odds slim that 40 pills are a private stash) used that drawer, recently? odds they will return for them?

they do look like one of the poorly pressed street x tabs I've seen in recent years, but couldn't find a single "J" marking on this admittedly US-centric site.

i'd be almost dumb enough to try it, too, but there is a great deal of adulterated crap out there and it would suck if you took a nibble and discovered it to be pcp or worse. sucks to accidentally ingest the dust. unless you're feeling particularly invincible, I think your only option is to enlist your friendly neighborhood junkie to take one for the team.

(the fact that I would suggest this is probably more proof that drugs are bad.)
posted by squasha at 6:15 PM on May 13

At first I was kind of agreeing with all the people saying ecstasy, but after looking at sunshinesky's link I think there's a better-than-even chance it's the green-apple-flavored Jones soda candy. He/she's right, just lick one---if it taste like candy, it's probably (duh) candy. If, on the other hand, it makes you want to grab a washcloth and scrub all the taste buds off your tongue, it's probably E (or a pretender, as mentioned above). Unless Jones soda candy is really, really, disgusting. Then all bets are off.

Just licking it enough to taste it won't get you high or otherwise do you any harm, if you were worried.

Report back please! :)
posted by slenderloris at 6:17 PM on May 13

Man, some of you mefites need to lay off the POT. So frikkin paranoid.
posted by sunshinesky at 6:17 PM on May 13 [3 favorites]

(IANADealer, but *if* I were, and *if* the street value was exorbitant, there, and baby needed a new pair of shoes, it would be worth it to me to invest the money in a proper lab test. anonymous testing takes a bit of time, though...you send cash and substance, they post results online. baby might need another size of shoes before that's all said and done, though....)
posted by squasha at 6:23 PM on May 13

ha. pre-coffee posting makes squasha slow. I love that it's candy, after all.
posted by squasha at 6:29 PM on May 13

ha. it's totally got to be the jones soda candy. more pertinent info would have included where the pills were found, who might have had access to those places. 40 pills of speed or X is a significant quantity that's unlikely to simply left somewhere.
posted by gnutron at 6:29 PM on May 13

gnutron makes a good point; how big is a "pile"?

If its 6 pills, that's one thing. If it's 40, that's not a pile of ecstasy unless your kid is a serious dealer.
posted by Justinian at 6:40 PM on May 13

From what I hear, those candies are highly delicious. Nom them away!

p.s. Not E.
posted by pedmands at 6:40 PM on May 13

You guys are magnificent.
posted by Simon! at 6:45 PM on May 13

I have a pharmacy background, and I looked it up and found nothing. Not saying anything else that could get me in trouble, but it's not in the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference).
posted by WaterSprite at 7:04 PM on May 13

Poison Centre?!?

Those are Green Apple flavor Jones Soda Carbonated Candy.

Yeah, the poison centre doesn't send you an ambulance when you call, they're basically a big triage centre with pharmacists, and a lot of reference work, and doctors handy if necessary. It used to be that parents would keep the poison control centre phone number stuck to the phone for the OMIGOD MY BABY ATE _____ calls.

Since the poster was from Toronto, he's already paid taxes to have a bunch of people who are really good at answering just this kind of question a free phone call away. So, yeah, poison centre.
posted by mendel at 2:57 PM on May 16

This whole Generation Naming crap is pseudoscience marketing reification for lazy feature writers and copywriters with no real or new ideas

Sorry, but Douglas Coupland is not a lazy feature writer.
posted by sunshinesky at 3:46 PM on May 16