Halloween Candy Handed Out in Oregon Tests Positive for Meth

Zachary Stieber
11/2/2018
Updated:
11/2/2018
Sour Patch Kids candy handed out to children trick-or-treating on Halloween in Oregon tested positive for methamphetamine, just days after a 5-year-old in Ohio tested positive for the drug after eating tainted candy.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said the Sour Patch Kids were given out in the town of Aloha.

Parents who had eaten the candy alerted the police after they got sick when they ate the candy.

The parents said that the wrapper around the candy had appeared to be fully sealed before they opened and consumed it.

Halloween candy handed out in Aloha, Oregon was tainted with meth, officials said on Nov. 1, 2018. (Washington County Sheriff's Office)
Halloween candy handed out in Aloha, Oregon was tainted with meth, officials said on Nov. 1, 2018. (Washington County Sheriff's Office)

“Deputies conducted field tests on the gummy candy, which tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine. The candy was seized and placed into evidence,” the office said.

None of the children consumed the candy and the parents were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

No other reports of tainted candy were received, the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives said that anyone who gets candy they think has been tampered with should keep it and give it to the authorities.

Neighbor Speaks

Some neighbors who learned of the news said they were concerned.
“Now I’m questioning, is all of this candy, is this bad? ” neighbor James Smith told KATU.

The sheriff’s office said it wasn’t clear as of yet which house the family obtained the tainted candy from.

The family lives on Southwest Jay Street and was roaming the neighborhood nearby.

Meth

Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug usually used as a white, bitter-tasting powder or a pill, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

People typically ingest the drug by inhaling/smoking, swallowing, snorting, or injecting a powder.

“Because the ‘high’ from the drug both starts and fades quickly, people often take repeated doses in a ‘binge and crash’ pattern. In some cases, people take methamphetamine in a form of binging known as a ‘run,’ giving up food and sleep while continuing to take the drug every few hours for up to several days,” the agency stated.

Even small amounts of meth can result in adverse health effects, such as faster breathing, rapid or irregular heartbeat, and increased blood pressure.

From NTD.tv