The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has come forward stating that edible marijuana products should be limited to "a simple lozenge/hard candy or tinctures." The worry is that products that are attractive to children put young people at risk for unknowingly consuming marijuana. Reuters reports:
Colorado and Washington state became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana under ballot measures approved in 2012, and similar measures will go to voters next month in Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia.
Retail pot sales began in Colorado in January and hospitals in the state have since reported an uptick in the number of children treated for ingesting marijuana edibles.
That has led state lawmakers to form a working group of stakeholders to propose new measures governing the packaging and labeling of pot-infused products.
The health department said allowing cannabis confections that may confuse consumers is not what voters intended when they legalized the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana by adults.
Colorado on Jan. 1 became the first state to legalize retail sale of marijuana in brownies, gummy bears and other candy, cheesecake and soda, among dozens of other products. Edibles, as they’re known, are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the recreational pot business, according to the National Cannabis Industry Association. The health department’s recommendation isn’t realistic, manufacturers say.
“This is not feasible, or tenable either,” said Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer for Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, a Denver-based company. “It’s more likely to create the opposite effect -- it will drive growth to the black market.”
The Denver Police Department released a YouTube video urging parents to be on the lookout for cannabis-laced candy this Halloween.
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