BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) – It is Halloween weekend and while we all want children to get plenty of treats, you do want to be on the lookout for tricks.
Attorney General Jeff Landry is warning parents about products that look like ordinary snacks and candy but could actually contain marijuana and high levels of THC.
Louisiana Poison Center Director Dr. Mark Ryan said the chances of this happening are slim, but a lot of these edible candies and snacks do look very similar to what you can purchase at the store, so it’s best to be prepared.
“A lot of these products, they look a little different, it may say Doritos and look kind of like a Doritos bag, but then down at the bottom it might have a little emblem that says THC,” Ryan said.
80 percent of accidental ingestion of edible marijuana calls have been about children. Ryan said this is a significant jump compared to a decade ago.
“I think this year to date, I ran them this morning, we had 57 cases,” said Ryan.
Ryan said despite the spike in calls, people passing out marijuana candy is not likely.
“There is just really no credible evidence out there, it may have happened somewhere, but it’s just not something we see, and as far as somebody going through the trouble of lacing candy, that’s a lot of effort when these products are so readably available,” said Ryan.
If you are worried that your child may accidentally eat marijuana candy or snacks, Ryan said they are ready to answer calls at 1-800-222-1222.