Trick or Treat: Legal Recreational and Medical Marijuana and Anti-pot Rhetoric

Recreational and medical marijuana are on the ballot in a number of states this fall. In some of those places the anti-pot rhetoric has taken on an oddly familiar tone. What if trick-or-treaters come home with cannabis-laced Halloween candy? While it is always wise to keep your medical candies locked away the same way you would any other cannabis product, this concern is less about basic parental precautions.

It is more to do with the same old urban legend about poisoned candy. For example, in the 70s, reports of cyanide laced candy or candies full of razor blades were common. Furthermore, the fact is that there have been zero proven reports of people handing out marijuana-laced Halloween candy.

Research on Cannabis-laced Halloween Candy

University of Delaware sociologist Joel Best has done lots of research on poisoned Halloween candy. Mr. Best told National Geographic: “There was a fear that people would pass out edible marijuana and cause children to overdose, which, among other things, completely ignores how much edible marijuana costs.” This also ignores the strict packaging standards that many states are adopting. For instance, in Oregon, cannabis-infused candy must come in child-proof packaging and the art may not appeal to children. Finally, candy with THC must have a warning label.

Find more about this on National Geographic.
Read the Snopes.com entry about tainted candy.

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