RICHMOND, Va. -- As thousands of children head out to trick or treat, there's new concern for parents regarding THC-laced gummies and other types of candy.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said that parents should be vigilant about the treats their children bring home on Monday night as several THC products are designed to mimic candy.
"We've seen a huge increase in children that pick up a gummy and they think it's a normal gummy but it's THC-laced and they're ending up in the emergency room," Miyares said.
Earlier this month, a Spotsylvania mother was charged after her child died after eating a large number of THC gummies. Last week, seven students at a Fairfax middle school experienced dizziness, slurred speech and vomiting after consuming Delta-8 gummies, a type of edible that contains the THC compound that gives marijuana its high.
Despite a law that passed in July forbidding Virginia stores from selling THC products that mimic candy or other products that appeal to children, many products can still be found.
"The problem is a lot of these, they look exactly like what you'd get in a store. There's one called Trips Ahoy and looks exactly like Chips Ahoy and that's for everything, from Oreos to Doritos to gummies, so that means for parents to be a little more mindful," Miyares said.
Despite the concern from Miyares' office, researchers said that drugs handed out on Halloween are the stuff of urban legend.
"I've looked at more than 60 years of data that no child has ever been killed or seriously hurt by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick or treating," Joel Best, one researcher, said.
However, Miyares said his office will do its best to continue tracking the THC-laced products that have the potential to target and harm children.
"Halloween should be a magical time. I have school-aged children who are going to be out trick or treating. We just need parents to be aware that, hey, it's out there, be mindful," Miyares said.
