Cannabis or marijuana is legal in Colorado. In fact, it is one of the first states to impose such law. However, the state, through Governor John Hickenlooper, has recently signed a bill that will make weed gummy bears or candies laced with THC illegal. This law will take effect July 1.
High Times reports that the state found it necessary to enforce the law for the protection of the children and in the interest of public safety despite legal marijuana. Under the House Bill 16-1436, the manufacturer and sale of cannabis-laced candies or edible marijuana products with shapes that might be attractive to children are banned in Colorado. This specifically covers marijuana edibles typically shaped like fruits, people or animals. However, the law doesn't specify the punishments for the violation.
With legal marijuana becoming a booming business in the state, the move to ban candies with THC comes at the right time. The state's health department has actually been pushing for this since 2014, following numerous reports of accidental consumption of marijuana-infused products in children. Some adults apparently carelessly leave legal marijuana or weed gummy bears out in the open, which makes it easier for kids to take, per Merry Jane. These candies also get transported outside of Colorado, thus further putting more innocent kids in danger.
Colorado bans weed Gummy Bearshttps://t.co/rr1moZDfa5
— The Freakshow (@freakshow1055) June 17, 2016
Recently, police arrested individuals in possession of candies with THC in South Carolina, which they believe were legally obtained in Colorado, per The State. Parents are now being warned about the existence of candies with cannabis that are quite indistinguishable with the authentic candies.
Most of these weed gummy bears contain at least 10 mg of THC, which can have grave health consequences on children with smaller body mass. Legal marijuana in Colorado took effect in 2012, allowing an individual above the age of 21 to possess 28 grams of pot in one transaction. However, smoking or using this out in the open is prohibited, per the Colorado Pot Guide.
