Pot a Potential Problem This Halloween

SEATTLE — Not all candy is for kids. Now that marijuana is legal in Washington state, concerns are mounting over cannabis-infused candies showing up in trick-or-treat bags.

The Seattle Police Department’s advice for parents is standard and familiar. Parents should inspect their children’s candy bag and throw out anything that seems suspicious, according to Det. Drew Fowler.

However, even with the most thorough of checking, police admit THC candies are difficult to detect.

“Therein lies the concern,” said Fowler. “[The candies] look and will taste pretty much identical. However, the packaging they’re going to come in from marijuana stores is going to be different, and it will be labeled as such.”

Most any kind of candy from Hershey bars to Skittles can be turned into cannabis sweets, according to police. The Denver Police Department is taking the concern so seriously that it has produced a video showing how the drug candies and standard candies look the same. Critics call the concerns fear-mongering, saying there’s no evidence to suggest this will be an issue. But police say parents should err on the side of safety.

Just like too much candy, THC can make a child sick. Seattle police have long advised against people distributing home-made candies.

If any form of marijuana shows up in a kid’s trick-or-treat bag, police admit it will be difficult to investigate but they will take the crime very seriously.

“Giving any sort of drug to a child is a felony,” said Fowler. “If that does happen, we’ll be very interested to investigate and try to find out who did this.”

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2014/10/20/police-inspect-halloween-candy-for-cannabis-sweets/17598455/

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