Yup, pot-infused Halloween candy is apparently a legitimate concern.
Since recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado in January, parents continue to worry that the substance will fall into the hands of their children. This puts Colorado citizens in a "unique position" this Halloween, the Denver Police Department says.
Posting a new PSA on its Facebook, the Denver Police Department is making sure that parents know about a different kind of sugar high.
Bringing new meaning to the munchies, the PSA warns parents that pot-infused candy can easily be given to children this Halloween.
"With edibles gaining in popularity we thought it was important to alert the community to the possibility that it's easy to mistake what looks like regular candy with a marijuana edible," said Denver police spokesman Lt. Matt Murra.
Filmed inside the Urban Dispensary, the video explains how easy it is for pot-infused candy to go unnoticed since it resembles tradition candy.
Dispensary owner Patrick Johnson explains that some manufacturers of "knock-off candy" spray their products with hash oil. Once the oil is dried, it is impossible to know that the candy has been tampered with.
"There is really no way a child or a parent or even an expert in the field to tell you whether a product is infused or not," said the dispensary owner Patrick Johnson.
While some parents may worry that their kid will be drugged by candy, dispensaries have been selling the edibles since the medical use of cannabis became legal in 2001. Popular pot products sold include various oil-infused edibles, which include lollipops, gummy bears and other candy.
According to Michael Elliott, executive director of Colorado's Marijuana Industry Group, there have been no reported cases where marijuana edibles were distributed to trick-or-treaters in Colorado or in any of the other 22 states where the drug is legal for medical use.
"We don't have any cases of it," says Ron Hackett from the Denver Police Department. "This is our first year with [recreational] edibles, and we just kind of wanted to put it out there as a reminder," Hackett adds.
The police department suggests that parents throw away any candy that looks as if its package was tampered with.
Check out the PSA below.
