Cannabis gummies found in child's Halloween treats, police say

A package of Halloween-themed cannabis gummies was found in a child's pile of Halloween treats after trick-or-treating in the Annapolis Valley, say Kings District RCMP.

Police were called to a home in Coldbrook, N.S., at around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday after a parent checking over their child's Halloween candy found a package with jujubes that was labelled "Sweed Factory."

A sticker on the package said each candy contained 10 milligrams of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis.

The parent told police their child was with a group of eight kids trick-or-treating in Cambridge, Kentville and Coldbrook and didn't know where the candy was handed out. 

None of the other children in the group had cannabis edibles in their candy.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Clarke said police seized the sweets, sent them to a lab for testing and are trying to find out where they came from.

It's possible that, despite the label, the candies do not contain THC, Clarke said.

"I guess that's the danger with cannabis edibles for us.… There's really not a lot on the front of the label that would lead me as a parent to be suspicious, other than the fact that the label does look kind of worn. The package looks like it's maybe been in someone's pocket or a bag or a purse," Clarke said.

"But if that label were not on the back, I don't know how a person would know."

This is the first time cannabis edibles have been found in children's Halloween candy in Nova Scotia, Clarke said.

RCMP remind parents to carefully check their children's Halloween candy for signs of tampering. Anything suspicious should be reported to police. 

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Kings District RCMP at 902-679-5555.