Attorneys general in several states have issued warnings about cannabis products that resemble standard snacks and candies, CBS News reported Thursday.
“These look-alike cannabis products are unregulated, unsafe, and illegal,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong explained in a recent statement. “Accidental cannabis overdoses by children are increasing nationwide, and these products will only make this worse.”
Tong’s statement continued:
In the first nine months of 2020, 80 percent of calls related to marijuana edibles to the Poison Control Center were for pediatric exposure. In the first half of 2021 alone, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reports poison control hotline calls have received an estimated 2,622 calls for services related to young children ingesting cannabis products. The Connecticut Poison Control Center received 88 calls in 2020 regarding child exposure to edible marijuana, and 58 calls in the first seven months of 2021.
Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James noted the cannabis edibles were reportedly “deceptively designed” to look like regular treats.
However, they could contain high levels of cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol, also called THC, which is the primary compound in marijuana.
In a social media post on Tuesday, James shared a photo of what appeared to be the products in question.
One bag’s label read Stoney Patch, and another was called Double Stuf Stoneo:
The CBS report continued:
Connecticut, New York and Illinois have legalized the adult recreational use of certain amounts of cannabis. Under Connecticut law, cannabis products cannot be sold under a brand name that is identical to or similar to an existing non-cannabis product. A single adult serving size for cannabis edibles under the state statute contains five milligrams of THC, and a multiple-serving package for cannabis edibles cannot contain more than 100 milligrams of total THC.
While performing a traffic stop, officers in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, found a stash of THC edibles packaged to resemble popular snacks and candies, Fox 29 reported in September.
“Anything that’s wrapped, we tell parents that it’s fairly safe, but this is wrapped, looks like commercial wrapping, but it’s certainly not safe,” director of Public Safety for the Bensalem Police Department, Fred Harran, told the outlet.