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Parents: Hide Your Stash! Marijuana-Laced Candy on Halloween?

By George Khoury, Esq. on November 03, 2016 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

The fear of Halloween candy being laced with drugs or razor blades has caused parents to obsessively check their children's Halloween candy for decades. While reports of candy tampering on Halloween are exceedingly rare, with the proliferation of medical marijuana, marijuana candy is the new razor blade in the apple. Since it should be easy to spot, parents really only need to provide a small addition to the usual warning to their kids: Don't eat anything unwrap-able, opened, or with a pot leaf or warning label.

Due to the regulations that govern the manufacturing of marijuana edibles in states like Oregon and Colorado, they must be packaged in a way that really doesn't look like candy, as well as contain a clear warning. While there are marijuana edibles manufacturers that may not adhere to these guidelines, most will have clear labeling. Oregon's Poison Control Center's doctor recommended that parents that want to protect their children from it should lock up their own marijuana candy stashes, and of course, check their children's candy for unwrapped and suspicious items.

Is Poisoning Candy Really a Thing?

While parents are known for worrying about every little thing, even if it doesn't make sense, some might be relieved to know that there has only been one confirmed report of death from Halloween candy poisoning, and it is the most tragically disgusting story you'll hear all day. Basically, a cash strapped father took out a life insurance policy on his children, then poisoned his son's Halloween candy. Then to cover it up, he distributed a few of the poisoned pixie sticks he created. His son died. He was executed in 1984.

Will Your Kid Bring Home Pot Candy?

While it is exceedingly unlikely that your child will bring home pot candy from trick-or-treating, it has already been reported as happening in Illinois this year. As noted in the report, the candy had marijuana leaves on the packaging.

Typically though, because of the high cost of marijuana candy and low incidence of causing harm, it is unlikely anyone would maliciously distribute pot candy to children. Again, it bears restating, poison Halloween candy is an urban legend.

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