Kids, stay away from the Stoney Patch candies and Double-Stuf Stoneos
Illegal edible cannabis products are being sold in Canada that look very much like popular candies and goodies consumed by children.
While cookies packaged to look like Oreos but called Stoneos may be a dead giveaway, other products do mimic the real thing quite closely.
Photos posted by Health Canada, for example, show a Skittles package that looks quite authentic and is spelled the same but it has “Medicated Sour” written in small lettering above the name.
There are others that look very much like Cheetos, Ruffles, Doritos and Fritos packages.
More obvious fake products are the Fruit Loopz (the real product is spelled Loops) and Stoney Patch (made to look like Sour Patch Kids).
“Any products with flashy packaging, pictures, catchy names, strange THC symbols or that mimic popular name brands are illegal and unregulated, should not be consumed and should be reported to your local law enforcement,” says Health Canada in a safety warning.
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Real edibles are always packaged in plain, childproof containers that carry a Health Warning Message in a yellow box, the red cannabis symbol and an excise stamp.
Illegal products can also be reported to Health Canada here.
Of particular concern is that children could consume the treats and get very ill.
“Hospitals have seen an increase in visits to the emergency room and poison centres have seen an increase in calls,” Health Canada says. “Poisonings can be life-threatening, sometimes resulting in coma, being put on a ventilator, or in rare cases, even death. While there have been no fatal cases reported in Canada to date, Health Canada is aware of international cases of paediatric cannabis poisoning leading to death.”
Symptoms include chest pain, rapid heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, psychotic episode, slowed and ineffective breathing, severe anxiety, panic attack, agitation, confusion, slurred speech, unsteadiness on feet, drowsiness/lethargy, muscle weakness and loss of consciousness.
Dogs can also become very ill from consuming cannabis.
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