Photo: New York Attorney General
Photos: New York Attorney General
Ahead of Halloween, various state attorneys general across the nation have been warning parents about their children potentially obtaining "cannabis candy" instead of regular candy.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the most common overdose amongst children in the United States involve the ingestion of edible cannabis foods. These types of overdoses among children are sadly on the rise. The American Association of Poison Control Centers said that in the first half of 2021 ALONE, hotlines received 2,622 calls for services related to children ingesting cannabis products.
Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost discussed efforts that are being done to warn parents about unregulated, illegal marijuana snacks being made to look like sober, genuine brands of snacks. He said via press release:
“The levels of THC in these fakes could have some real and devastating consequences for children,”
He continued by stating:
“Parents need to be extra cautious, especially around Halloween, that these copycat products don’t wind up in treat bags.”
New York Attorney General, Letitia James had a similar statement in regards to the increase of cannabis snacks being handed out. She stated:
“These unregulated and deceptive cannabis products will only confuse and harm New Yorkers, which is why they have no place in our state,” ... “It is essential that we limit their access to protect our communities and, more specifically, our children. In light of an increase in accidental overdoses among children nationwide, it is more vital than ever that we do everything we can to curb this crisis and prevent any further harm, or even worse, death. My office is committed to preventing the sale of these products and protecting the wellbeing of all New Yorkers. I urge everyone to remain vigilant against these products and to report these harmful items to my office immediately.”
The packaging for these illegal cannabis products look very similar to popular snack brands like Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, Cheetos, and Doritos.
Photo: New York Attorney General
Photo: New York Attorney General
Attached are pictures provided by the New York Attorney General's office showing how some of these cannabis products may look and how similar they are to the original packaging of the regular snacks.
With Halloween quickly approaching, its important that parents keep an eye on what your child recieves as it may carry horrible consequences.