Police Warn Parents About THC-Laced Edibles That Look Like Halloween Candy: 'Be Ever Vigilant'

Packaging can be deceiving.

Pennsylvania police are advising parents to be extra cautious this year when it comes to making sure their children’s Halloween treats are the real deal, as some THC-infused edibles appear to resemble candy.

“The Johnstown Police would like to draw extra attention to the Nerds Rope edibles containing 400mg of THC found during a search warrant in Stoney Creek Twp,” officials wrote in a Facebook post earlier this month, sharing photos of the seized products.

“During this Halloween, we urge parents to be ever vigilant in checking their children’s candy before allowing them to consume those treats. Drug-laced edibles are package[d] like regular candy and may be hard to distinguish from the real candy,” the post continued.

The Ferrara candy company, which makes Nerds as well as many popular candies including Baby Ruth and Butterfinger, issued a statement reassuring parents that their official products “are safe to consume.”

“This product is counterfeit and in no way associated with Ferrara Candy Company,” the company said in a statement to CNN. “We want to reassure consumers that the Nerds products they find at major retailers across the country and at nerdscandy.com are safe to consume.”

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While it’s always a good idea to practice Halloween safety — which includes checking candy for any signs of tampering or suspicious items — many on Facebook argued that the chances of your children being given THC-infused edibles are likely low.

“Edibles are expensive! People don’t even like giving them to friends,” one Facebook user noted. “If you have 100 trick or treaters, that’s well over $500. No WAY the average edible consumer is giving them away.”

Another user added, “There is no correlation between the seizure of some THC-infused candy and any intent whatsoever to distribute it to children on Halloween.”

This is not the first time police have advised parents to take extra precautions over edibles getting into their children’s hands.

In June, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia issued a public safety warning after authorities intercepted a package of edibles. Although they noted that the candy did have a warning on it, they pointed out that its deceptive labels could cause confusion.

“Trick or Treat will never be the same again. This fake ‘candy’ is all trick and no treat,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “It is packaged like candy. It looks like popular candy. It tastes like candy. But, instead, it is a very powerful and potent way to get high.”

“Any unsuspecting child or teenager could easily stumble along a package and innocently eat it not realizing the potency of the THC infused in the product,” Stuart added.

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