Police in California are warning parents to check their children’s candy during Halloween after a child reportedly fell ill from ingesting a THC-infused candy received at a local trick-or-treating event over the weekend.
The Alameda Police Department on Monday asked parents to "exercise extra caution and inspect your child’s Halloween candy" while they investigated an incident that required a child to seek immediate medical attention after consuming a cannabis candy.
The "Trunk or Treat" event where the pot-infused candies are believed to have been handed out was held at Alameda's Amelia Earhart Elementary School on Sunday, FOX2 KTVU reported.
Susan Davis, the senior manager for community affairs for the Alameda Unified School District, told the station that the child’s parents checked the candy that the student got from the event and found a wrapper that says it is cannabis infused.
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"Cannabis-infused candy can look a lot like real candy, so it's really important for parents to check the candy this year," said Davis.
Beth Meloy, a parent who attended the event with her child, told the station that the THC-infused candy looked like a "standalone Starburst." Meloy said her child received the candy at the event and that she only noticed the packaging difference after getting emails and calls from other parents and the school.
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Police said that many THC-infused candies can closely resemble popular name brand sweets, sharing several photos of name-brand candy next to cannabis products that have similar packaging.
The department urged parents to take precautions during Halloween including checking their child’s candy for unusual packaging and tampering; educating their children about not eating candies that are not in their original packaging or have not been checked by their parents; and contacting police if any candy is found that causes concerns.
Police said if there is any doubt about the authenticity of the candy, parents should err on the side of caution and discard the sweets.
