Warning to parents: Halloween candy could be marijuana edibles!
This Halloween, parents should be vigilant so that their little trick-or-treaters can avoid edible marijuana that resembles candy, health officials say.
Bruce Ruck, managing director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, says these drug-laced candies look like gummy bears or chocolate bars and the wrappers resemble candies found in stores.
So parents need to make sure to not only make sure that the wrappers are wrapped tight and sealed properly, but they also need to make sure the spelling is correct and to make sure the coloring on the packaging is what you would expect.
Ruck said parents should also be on the look out for any strange appearance or odor of the candy itself.
Edible marijuana is so common these days, Ruck said.
"We are finding that it's sometimes sold in candy form and food form that looks like other candy that children would normally eat."
While these products are not sold in New Jersey at this point, he said these products are being brought in from other parts of the U.S. where edible marijuana is allowed so everyone needs to be on high alert.
Ruck also advised that trick-or-treaters should not accept homemade candy and treats from a stranger's home. One risk of homemade goods is food poisoning.
Ruck said if you suspect a child has ingested a piece of potentially harmful candy, call the New Jersey Poison Control Helpline at 1-800-222-1222. He said if the child seems alert and oriented, they may be able to figure out what is wrong on the phone and monitor them right there. But if the poison center feels a child is in danger, they will tell a parent to take that child to the emergency room.
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