Parents are being warned to stay vigilant this Halloween after police found a horde of counterfeit sweets laced with THC at a local Michigan residence.
A local police department executing a search warrant at an address in Michigan found fake sweets and snacks containing THC and hallucinogenic mushroom products, according to a report by Good Morning America.
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that causes a ‘high’, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Often, manufacturers may use potentially unsafe household chemicals to make the compound, and use additional chemicals to change the final product's colour.
“Manufacturing of delta-8 THC products may occur in uncontrolled or unsanitary settings, which may lead to the presence of unsafe contaminants or other potentially harmful substances,” the agency added.
Speaking about discovering the look-alike products, which were in packaging that looked like the authentic product, Lt. John Gajewski, public information officer for the Warren Police Department in Michigan, told ABC News: “We thought to ourselves, 'Wow, if a group of trained investigators looked at this and didn't pay any attention, what's your average kid gonna do on Halloween?"
“And we just felt we wanted to get this message out there to parents and children to be vigilant this Halloween season.”
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Gajewski added that officials did not find any evidence that the counterfeit products were going to be distributed on or before Halloween.
“If you're possessing these legally in your house, and you want to use them, that's your business," he explained.
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"But put them away, lock them up like medication, so that somebody, an adult or a child, doesn't get them accidentally.”
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He continued, claiming that he wanted all parents and caregivers in the surrounding area and beyond to be aware of lookalike candy and snack products that contain THC.
"Look for unusual symbols, unusual odors, anything that may indicate this isn't normal," Gajewski pleaded.
Moreover, he said anyone out ‘trick or treating’ this Halloween should avoid consuming any kind of sweet treat that is unwrapped or comes from a source they don’t totally trust.
Officials also confirmed that the makers of the sweets and snacks found at the raided residence were not behind the faux products.
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Ferrara Candy Company, the maker of Troll and Nerds candy products, told ABC News in a statement that its sweets, usually found at major retailers, are safe.
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"We are deeply concerned that our candy packaging imagery or deceitful lookalike logos are being used ... intentionally or otherwise, [on] unregulated products that have been demonstrated to be unsafe for children," the company said.
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The FDA stated that if you or someone you know has potentially ingested products containing THC without knowledge, then call 911 or head to your local emergency room.
Health care professionals and patients are also encouraged to report complaints and cases of accidental exposure and adverse events to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
This can be done by phoning an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator, completing an electronic Voluntary MedWatch form online, or mailing the legislation to the FDA itself.
Ella Scott