RICHLAND, Wash. – An 8-year-old child in Richland was hospitalized after consuming candy containing THC after receiving it on Halloween, according to the Richland Police Department.
On the evening of Nov. 4, the child ate a whole bag of THC-infused candies he received while trick-or-treating. The candies were packaged in a “Nerds Gummy Clusters” bag marked “medicated” and contained 600 milligrams of THC. That’s equivalent to 60 regular doses.
The parents noticed the child showing signs of being under the influence of marijuana and took him to Kadlec Regional Medical Center. The boy has since been released from the hospital and is doing okay.
Richland Police Commander Damon Janson emphasized that this is not a common occurrence in the Tri-Cities.
“I’ve been in law enforcement for over 21 years, and I’ve never had a case where a child has obtained some kind of candy that’s been altered or anything along those lines,” Janson said. “ In this case, it’s not an altered candy. This is a product that can be purchased out of state that has THC in it.”
The Richland Police Department confirmed that the THC candies were obtained while trick-or-treating and not from the child’s home. They are working to determine the source of the candy.
Parents and children who were trick-or-treating near the Meadows West area in South Richland by the Meadow Springs Golf Course are advised to double-check their children’s candy.
“We definitely need to be more careful,” Janson said. “It’s not just glancing at the box of candy or the bag that you have and looking to see if it looks like candy. We need to start looking at it more closely, reading the labels that are on it to ensure that we’re allowing our kids to eat safe foods.”
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board indicated that the THC candy mimicking Nerds is not from a licensed producer in Washington.
Julie Graham with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, says there are very strict marijuana label regulations in Washington State.
“No THC product can mimic the appearance of any kind of candy or snack or food or drink that would create any confusion or that might appeal to kids,” Graham said.
Both the Richland Police Department and the Liquor and Cannabis Board believe the product may have come from out of state or purchased online.
