HERNANDO, Miss — Every year around Halloween time, police departments across the country warn parents about the possibility of their child being exposed to marijuana-laced candy. The Hernando Police Department made a post on Facebook Tuesday warning parents to be aware of THC-infused candies in their child's Halloween sacks.
The post read in part, "As the Halloween season approaches, our community should be made aware of the current packaging utilized to market THC edibles{..} all parents please be diligent and pay close attention to the packaging."
The department attached a few photos of the items their units recently confiscated, but the post didn't explain if the person they caught was planning to give these out to children or why Hernando police believe their community is at risk of it a happening year.
Joel Best is a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware and is also one of the nation's top researchers on Halloween candy contamination. Best said people have been worried about weed candies since Colorado first legalized marijuana in 2012.
"Children are not at risk for contaminated treats," he said. "For one thing, edible marijuana products are very expensive and this would be a very expensive prank."
THC candies, on average, cost about $30. Best said in his 60 years of research, he hasn't found any evidence that a child has ever died or been seriously hurt by a marijuana edible picked up in the course of trick or treating. He said it seems there are good intentions behind police departments warning parents of marijuana-infused candy, but there's no proof that it's a real problem.
ABC 24 reached out to the Hernando Police Department several times to get more information about the post, but we didn't get a response.
While it's not likely your kids are getting marijuana-infused candy this year, Best said Halloween is still one of the most dangerous holidays for children in terms of them being admitted to the emergency rooms. Best said since tens of millions of kids are out trick-or-treating in the dark, they are more prone to get hit by a car or injured because of their costumes.
"[Children] are not showing up to the emergency room because they've been poisoned," Best said.
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital reports there were actually two cases of marijuana-infused Halloween candy eaten by kids and Baptist Children's Hospital said they don’t have a record of a case.