Pot candy and Halloween: A dangerous mix?

Monday marked the first Halloween when recreational edibles were legal to sell in Oregon, raising questions about how the relatively new industry is keeping those adult treats that can look like candy out of younger hands.

TLC Cannabis Emporium, a recreational marijuana retailer in Salem, has a billboard that reminds people to keep its products away from children and pets, said Chief Operating Officer Corry Chain.

TLC Cannabis sells gummy-based products, chocolates and truffles, but they aren't packaged like candy you would buy for children at a grocery store, said Chain.

“They don’t look like candy packages,” he said.

In Colorado, authorities raised similar concerns after the state legalized marijuana. But after Halloween 2014, there were no reports of trick-or-treaters getting candy with marijuana, CBS News reported at the time.

Under Oregon law, recreational marijuana is legal for people 21 years of age or older to use. The state has put in place strict packaging rules to deter children from consuming marijuana products.

All marijuana products have to be in child-resistant packaging when they leave the store, according to Mark Pettinger, a spokesman for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates recreational marijuana. Those products must also display the universal marijuana warning symbol, a white leaf on a red background with an exclamation point next to it.

Labeling rules also prohibit packages from employing cartoon characters, neon colors or terms that would be attractive to children, he said.

Marijuana use has come under national scrutiny as different states vote this Nov. 8 on whether legalize the crop. In Florida, medical marijuana could become legal, but a local sheriff has advised parents to watch out for candy laced with the plant this Halloween, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Sheriff Jerry Demings, who leads a group that's against legalization, couldn't point to any times or places where medical marijuana is legal that a child has gotten that kind of candy, according to the newspaper.

The move under OLCC management means that retailers can now sell higher quantities of marijuana. They can legally sell more than they could as medical dispensaries selling small amounts of recreational products.

“This is the first Halloween that edibles come into play,” said Pettinger.

The Oregon Poison Center doesn't forecast anyone giving out candies with marijuana, said Rachel Castelli, a physician with the center. For parents who are concerned, though, she recommends looking for the cannabis label, discarding any unwrapped candy and putting any marijuana products of their own in a locked box.

Most children who accidentally consume an edible can become sleepy, have difficulty walking and can experience involuntary muscle contraction, she said. In rare cases, a small child can eat a high-dose product, which would require that they be hospitalized.

"Those are very rare cases,” she said. But she said concerned parents should contact the poison center.

Recreational sales of marijuana became legal last year in Oregon. The industry here has been in the spotlight as local ballot measures throughout the state ask voters to decide whether to welcome or abolish marijuana sales in areas around Oregon — 50 counties and cities will put the matter to voters on Nov. 8, according to the OLCC.

Local marijuana PAC forms, advocates ballot measures

On Oct. 1, a slew of recreational retailers moved under the oversight of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

The transition to OLCC oversight has actually led to a shortage of edibles right now, said Chain. TLC Cannabis, a recreational retailer, was one of the first companies in Oregon to have its license approved and move from Oregon Health Authority supervision to that of the OLCC.

“It’s been a bit stressful, this transition with the industry right now,” he said.

Send questions, comments or news tips to jbach @statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6714. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanMBach.

In local elections, Oregon voters choose: tax or ban pot sales