Winnipeg police are warning parents to check their children’s Halloween treats after at least half a dozen reports of high-potency cannabis edibles in brightly colored packaging being handed out to children on Monday.
The cannabis edibles were discovered in children’s Halloween bags after a sleight of hand in the Tuxedo neighborhood, and were packaged to look like the popular Nerds candy, police say.
Jocelyn Cordeiro was shocked when her nine-year-old daughter found one of the packets in her treats on Monday night, calling the incident “horrible”.
“She picked it up and looked at it, then she said, ‘Sixty minute activation time – what does that mean? ‘” Cordeiro said on Tuesday. “It wouldn’t have caught my eye if she hadn’t read it. … It looked like a packet of candy.”
Cordeiro quickly texted the parents of the other kids his daughter went to cheat or treat with. All agreed to contact the police about the THC candies, she said.
She cried thinking about what would have happened if her daughter had eaten the candy.
“I would have watched her eat it, and wouldn’t even have thought about it for a second, because the packaging wasn’t suspicious at all.”
Cordeiro also posted his findings on social media to warn other parents.
I thought it was an urban myth. My child has edibles in his candy bag tonight. Check your children’s sweets!!!!! pic.twitter.com/vfaeGBKhSR
The packages state that they contain 600 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the primary psychoactive property of marijuana. The maximum amount of THC for edibles in Canada is 10 milligrams per package.
Police said they have at least half a dozen reports of the edibles, which were found in zipped sandwich bags with full-size chocolate bars.
So far, all reports are from a small area in southern Tuxedo, said Const. Daniel McKinnon. THC can be dangerous for children, but no children were harmed, she said.
The incident is a good reminder to check Halloween candy for children of all ages, McKinnon said.
Schools were also notified of the edibles, she said, and police began knocking on doors in the affected neighborhood.
Drug tests will be done, but the candies will be treated as THC edibles until they are completed, McKinnon said.
As she dropped her daughter off at school on Tuesday morning, Cordeiro discovered that several local children had also received the candies.
She will take a closer look at her children’s Halloween bags next year, she said.
‘Not sold in Canada’
Police did not comment on possible motives and said they did not know what charges could be brought in the case.
Finn Makela, a law professor at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, said Canadian cannabis law requires the drug to be accessible either through an authorized dealer or through a license to grow it at home. home.
“As soon as you have a cannabis product that has not been purchased or grown by one of these two methods, then you are in possession of illegal cannabis, which in itself is a crime,” he said. he declared Tuesday to Radio-Canada.
The packaging elements found in the treat bags do not meet Cannabis Act requirements, he said.
It does not include the red cannabis logo or a warning about the effects of THC, as required by Health Canada. It also lacks bilingual text and information on the amount of cannabidiol (CBD) or the amount of THC/CBD in each serving.
“It leads me to believe that [the edibles were] is not legally sold in Canada.
According to the Health Canada website, plain packaging and labels are also required for all cannabis products sold in Canada. Neon-colored wrappers, like the one found by Cordeiro’s daughter, cannot be sold in stores.
Several Criminal Code offences, including distributing cannabis to minors, could have occurred if the candy was intentionally given to children on Halloween night, Makela said.
If the person responsible distributed the candy unknowingly, it could constitute criminal negligence, he said.
If it turns out that there is no THC in the candies, the person responsible could be charged with mischief.
“We don’t know what the state of mind of the person who distributed it is.”
Winnipeg police have asked anyone with information or who received the cannabis candies to contact the Major Crimes Unit at 204-986-6219.
They also said people should try not to tamper with the wrapper if they come across the sweets, but should call the police and put the package in a safe place until it is recovered.
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