They look exactly like the kind of thing a kid sneaking a treat before dinner might grab for—a chocolate bar, cotton candy, gummy bears and lollipops.
That’s what has York Regional Police so concerned.
They recently seized $1.7 million worth of cannabis and cannabis-laced sweets from an illegal dispensary and distribution centre in Toronto, though the investigation started in Vaughan.
Health Canada is still finalizing the rules for legal edibles ahead of an October 17, 2019 deadline. Their draft proposals include child-resistant packaging for edibles with labels that don’t appeal to children either.
York Regional Police Const. Andy Pattenden says the products they seized have been made to resemble sugary snacks that would be enticing to children.
“A child’s not going to know the difference between a cannabis-laced lollipop and a lollipop that might be in another cupboard, so people need to be really careful here,” Pattenden told NEWSTALK 1010 Friday.
Police are also worried about people young and old overindulging in edibles because dosage guidelines on packages can be less than intuitive or entirely absent.
Pattenden says that one kind of gummy edible seized by police recommended users cut a single bear into 10 pieces and eat only one of those pieces.
“Are people really looking at it, are people reading it, are people following the instructions? Our concern is that there’s a risk people could be taking too much,” Pattenden said.
42-year-old Emil Mikhailov is facing charges tied to cannabis distribution. Police have not yet determined where the cannabis and edibles came from.