The Halloween Myth That Won't Go Away: Cannabis-Laced Candies

With Halloween celebrations returning to pre-pandemic levels, so is trick-or-treating. To ensure that sweet-tasting cannabis edibles are kept away from children, health officials in U.S. and Canada are issuing warnings even though it is highly implausible that strangers would attempt to intoxicate trick-or-treaters by replacing inexpensive candy with pricey THC-laced treats. And there's never been a documented case of that actually happening, though it's still possible as packaging can be similar.

Hence parents in British Columbia are urged to be on the lookout for any tainted candies and avoid mix-ups in the Halloween treat bowl, reported Global News.

“Illegal cannabis often comes in bright and colorful packaging designed to look like popular candy kids love to get this time of year,” Mike Farnworth, B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General said.

The California Department of Public Health listed several symptoms that children who have consumed edibles might experience reported CBS News. 

The main issue with cannabis treats – from chocolates to gummies - is that they often look like any other candy. New Mexico Poison & Drug Information Center recently said that since the state legalized recreational cannabis earlier this year, there was an increase in marijuana-related emergency calls, according to UNM Health Sciences Center.

“We had zero cases one week, and then suddenly 10 the next,” Susan Smolinske, PharmD's director, said. “Six of those cases were children, and we know for sure that at least one was an incident of a child who thought they were eating Halloween candy.”

Photo: Courtesy of David Menidrey on Unsplash