Just days before Halloween, police in Massachusetts found a cache of “illegal marijuana products,” including marijuana-laced candy, over the weekend.
The Peabody Police Department, in a Facebook post, wrote that “several hundred thousands of dollars worth of illegal marijuana products” were found, leading to the arrest of Gary Cioffi.
“We would like to thank the neighbors for their cooperation in this matter. It appears the Black Market is still viable,” the department wrote.
The laced candy included “Wonka Bars” and “Nerd Ropes,” CBS Boston reported.
"Several hundred thousands of dollars worth of illegal marijuana products" were found, said police (Peabody Police Dept)
The cache included tainted Wonka Bars (Peabody Police Dept)
Nerds Ropes were also discovered (Peabody Police Dept)
Earlier this year, a study found that marijuana edibles have driven up emergency room visits in Colorado, where marijuana is legal, during a four-year period.
“About 10 percent of cannabis-related ED visits were associated with edible forms of weeds, but only 0.32 percent of total cannabis sales were for edible products. That’s 33 times higher than what we expected,” stated Dr. Andrew Monte, the lead author of the study and who works at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine. “Acute psychiatric visits like acute panic attacks, acute psychosis, and acute-on chronic conditions such as acute exacerbations of schizophrenia were also much more commonly associated with cannabis edibles,” added Monte.
More Findings
Several days ago, police in Pennsylvania found THC-laced Nerds Rope and other contaminated candies.
In a Facebook post, Pennsylvania’s Johnstown Police Department said that Nerds Rope that was laced with THC was found after police executed a search warrant.
“**ATTENTION** The Johnstown Police would like to draw extra attention to the Nerds Rope edibles containing 400mg of THC found during a search warrant in Stoney Creek Twp,” the Johnstown Police Department said on Facebook, according to reports.
“During this Halloween, we urge parents to be ever vigilant in checking their children’s candy before allowing them to consume those treats,” the department added.
The department called on parents to remain vigilant during Halloween.
“Drug laced edibles are package [sic] like regular candy and may be hard to distinguish from the real candy,” police wrote.
In a statement, Ferrara Candy Company, which makes Nerds Ropes, stated that it is “working with the relevant authorities,” reported CBS News.
“This product is counterfeit and in no way associated with Ferrara Candy Company. We want to reassure consumers that the products they find at major retailers across the country are safe for them to consume,” the statement said.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
