Health
Parents warned of candies in ‘deceptive’ packaging containing ‘THC’
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- The New York Attorney General advised parents to look out for deceptively packaged candies and snacks.
- Letitia James says these products contain “dangerously high concentrations of THC.”
- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis.
The New York Attorney General tweeted Tuesday that New York parents should keep an eye out for “snacks and candy” in “deceptive” packaging containing “dangerously high concentrations of THC.”
“New York parents should be on the alert for deceptive cannabis products that look like standard snacks and candy but contain dangerously high concentrations of THC,” NY Attorney General Letitia James said in a press statement Tuesday.
The statement included pictures of a bag resembling Hot Cheeto Puffs containing marijuana edibles with 600mg of THC, which is “120 times the maximum legal adult serving in most states” if the whole bag is consumed, according to the statement.
The statement included other photos of THC products packaged to look like snacks such as Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, Fruity Pebbles, Nerds, and Doritos, all labeled with a THC amount. These products were not made by the brands’ legitimate parent companies, like Frito-Lay, Mondelēz International, Post Consumer Brands LLC, and Ferrara Candy Company, who did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Several companies, such as the Hershey Company, the Ferrara Candy Company, and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company have filed lawsuits for misleading packaging in the past, Forbes reported.
The concern over “THC-laced” Halloween candy has appeared annually for years and often prompts social media discussion over its validity.
Connecticut, Arkansas, and Ohio Attorneys General also warned of similar concerns.
Recreational cannabis use was made legal in New York for consumers over the age of 21, however, legal sales have yet to begin.
Marijuana in edible form can more easily be overconsumed since it can take up to two hours for the effects to be felt, according to the CDC website.
“If you’re going to use these substances just realize that they look very attractive to kids, they’re oftentimes packaged in tins or other packages that look very attractive to kids,” Dr. Brian Schultz told CBS News.
According to CBS News, the American Association of Poison Control Centers said that the number of children under the age of 12 that have consumed edibles has increased largely in recent years – from 132 incidents in 2016 to 2,500 last year.
The CDC website also says that youth who unknowingly consume marijuana “are more likely to require hospital admission compared to older children who ingest similar concentrations due to their smaller size and weight and increased severity of symptoms.”
Source: USA Today
Rat Wrangler
November 3, 2021 at 10:18 am
Snack packages containing peanut and other nut products are colorful and not only look like snacks for children, but often are snacks for children. To a child with a nut allergy, eating such a snack is likely to be far more dangerous than eating one that contains cannabis. There have been multiple reports of deaths of children due to peanut allergies, but how many children died from THC edibles? I have encountered three cases of adults since 2015 who may have died from consuming THC edibles, but even those were suspect, as there was no testing for other contaminants, and in at least one case, the coroner stated the THC levels in the body were not that high. I’ve found no reported cases so far of children dying from these edibles.