It’s that time of the year ago. Halloween. This is the holiday where children run from door to door asking for candy.
With marijuana now legal in many states in some form, whether medicinally or recreationally, there is a concern that marijuana-infused candy could end up in your child’s bag.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina wants parents to beware of marijuana edibles or THC infused candies that could fall into your child’s bag.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Specialized Enforcement Team, the Criminal Interdiction Unit, has conducted 29 interdiction investigations and has seized more than 28 pounds of various types of marijuana edibles and/or THC infused food items.
According to investigators, most of the items were imported from states where marijuana has been legalized including California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado.
The investigators also said that most of the items they seized are candy, have a colorful appearance, and a fruity smell that’s appealing to kids.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office has directed to do the following when checking candy:
Discard ANY item given to children that appears to be “home-made”, is packaged in a nondescript foil or clear wrapping or is not immediately apparent as being a commercially available candy or treat.
Be familiar with the locations you allow your children to trick or treat, only choose safe neighborhoods or residences you know and trust.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a list of Halloween food safety tips.
The agency warns parents not to let their children snack on treats from their goody bags while they are trick-or-treating but instead wait until an adult can inspect the candy.
The FDA recommends families carefully go through candies to ensure there are not any signs of tampering, including an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers.
While the commercially manufactured marijuana edibles and candies may have warning labels attached with them, and the possibility your child ingesting them may be low risk, we still want to remain proactive and vigilant in our approach to the safety of all of our citizens, especially children. A sample of actual seizures is attached as a guide for parents.
