U.S. News

Actions

Is Threat Of Pot-Laced Halloween Candy Overblown?

Police in Colorado have warned parents to watch out for marijuana-laced candy in their kids\' Halloween haul.
Posted at
and last updated

Parents — we know prepping for Halloween can be a whole ghoul in itself. 

First, there's the pressure of finding the little ones the perfect costume.

Then you have to figure out how many bags of candy you'll need to keep the neighborhood kids stocked.

And, of course, there are the safety concerns. We've been warned to look for needles and razor blades inside sweets before, but is there something else you should be looking for? Watch what this officer told Denver's KDVR:

LT. MATT MURRAY, DENVER POLICE TO KDVR: "With edibles gaining in popularity, we felt it was important to alert the community to the possibility that it would be easy to mistake what looks like regular candy with a marijuana edible."

Yep, you heard him right. Police in Denver are warning parents to be on the lookout for candies laced with pot. 

According to the following PSA released by Denver Police, marijuana-laced candy is nearly undetectable because manufacturers use a spray to coat the candy with the drug.

PATRICK JOHNSON, OWNER, URBAN DISPENSARY TO DENVER POLICE: "They'll buy it in bulk form and they infuse it by using hibiscus hash oil. They spray that onto the candy and once that candy dries, there's really no way to tell the difference."

So should parents in Colorado be worried about their kids candy? Or is the threat of pot-laced candy being overblown?

Forbes's Jacob Sullum argues it might be. "The prospect of seemingly friendly folks slipping your kids cannabis candy on Halloween is a bit less frightening when you realize how little evidence there is that anyone wants to do that. With marijuana edibles selling for much more than the regular candy you can get by the bagful at Walmart, it would be a pretty pricey prank."

And to be clear, police say they're not concerned with people intentionally giving edibles to children. Rather, they're worried a child may accidentally take the laced candy.

Still, if you have little ones trick-or-treating this year, what should you be looking for to keep them safe?

Police say parents should follow the tried-and-true rules of tossing candy that looks like it's been tampered with and anything in unfamiliar packaging.

This video includes images from Getty Images.