Police are urging parents and guardians in Pennsylvania to check through their kids’ Halloween candy because some resembling regular treats are spiked with drugs.
The warning comes after Johnstown Police found a stash of drug-laced candy at an address in Stoney Creek Township while fulfilling a search warrant.
The authorities took to Facebook to share images of the sweets, which resembled the drug-free treat Nerds Rope. However, they pointed out the candy pictured contained 400mg of THC; the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.
Hear about the warning below:
Johnstown Police wrote:
The Johnstown Police would like to draw extra attention to the Nerds Rope edibles containing 400mg of THC found during a search warrant in Stoney Creek Twp.
During this Halloween, we urge parents to be ever vigilant in checking their children’s candy before allowing them to consume those treats. Drug laced edibles are package[d] like regular candy and may be hard to distinguish from the real candy.
The edibles were wrapped in red and yellow packaging similar to Nerds Rope but a label in the corner indicates they contain THC. Another label warns users to keep the product out of reach of children and animals.
Though there is a warning, it’s one an excited, hungry child might easily miss after a night of trick or treating, so parents are being encouraged to double check all the Halloween candy to ensure it doesn’t contain any unwanted substances.
Despite the similarities to Nerds Rope, the company who create the branded candy have disassociated themselves from the drug-spiked product.
Ferrara Candy Company, who make Nerds, released a statement to CBS News, saying:
This product is counterfeit and in no way associated with Ferrara Candy Company. We want to reassure consumers that the products they find at major retailers across the country are safe for them to consume.
The company are said to be ‘working with the relevant authorities’ to resolve the issue.
The use of THC is legal for those with certain medical conditions in Pennsylvania, but it has not been legalised for recreational use. It is commonly smoked, though it is also available in oils, edibles and capsules.
This is not the first warning parents have received regarding Halloween treats as police in Marshfield, Massachusetts, advised local residents to throw Twizzlers away last year after two packages were found to contain sewing needles, CBS Boston report.
It’s easy for kids to get carried away around the spooky season so it’s important for parents and carers to remain vigilant when it comes to accepting treats.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.