Police officer raises concerns about online sales of weed edibles
Const. Derek Gallamore was shocked when his department in Delta busted a woman allegedly selling weed-laced brownies with 40 times the recommended single dose of THC.
The sugary treat looked identical to a regular grocery store confection but packed a whopping 400 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. He immediately imagined what might happen if a toddler came across the dessert.
“Being a parent, I looked at it and went, ‘Wait a second.’ ” he said. “There were no warning labels for children.”
Though cannabis was legalized Oct. 17, edibles will not be legal until sometime within the next year. But that hasn’t stopped entrepreneurs from cooking up pot-infused candies, cookies and other items and selling them online or in dispensaries.
Gallamore said the woman was arrested about 18 months ago and the Crown decided against laying charges because they weren’t sure how marijuana legalization would affect the case.
Photos provided by Gallamore show other items seized were in professional-looking packaging. A rice cereal treat had the words “Keep away from children” in small letters, but blue raspberry gummies were in a clear bag and looked like any other candy.
After the incident, he began researching the edible cannabis market and learned it’s easy to purchase potent weed delicacies online. Most require the purchaser to register using government identification, but youth could still get the products, he said.
“It’s pretty easy to have someone buy edibles for you,” said Gallamore, whose work to spread information about the dangers of edibles to youths was highlighted by Delta police in a news release Wednesday.
Some websites require buyers to agree to terms and conditions that state they need cannabis for a medical reason. Selling marijuana online to medical users is illegal unless the producer is licensed by Health Canada, which says on its website that law enforcement has the authority to take action against illegal cannabis activity.
The federal government is set to launch consultations in the coming months on edible regulations, and it’s considering requiring a standardized cannabis symbol on labels and banning product forms, ingredients and flavouring agents that appeal to kids.
Colorado had practically no restrictions on edibles when they hit shelves in 2014. That year, marijuana exposure calls about children and youth to a Denver poison-control centre nearly doubled, and a college student jumped to his death after eating infused cookies.
The incidents grabbed headlines and pushed the state to introduce regulations, including requiring each product to be divided into servings of 10 or fewer milligrams of THC.