Newfoundland and Labrador’s seizure of cannabis copies of popular chip, candy and cookie brands is a perfect example of why people should only shop at legal weed retailers and an apt opportunity to cite the need for vigilance, authorities say.

It was anything but the real thing last week when members of Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation’s (NLC) regulatory compliance and enforcement department received custody of 375 packages of cannabis chips, candy and cookies, as well as 300 assorted candies, imitated to look like non-weed products.

“Given the similarity in appearance to well-known brands, these products could certainly appeal to youth and represent a public safety concern,” NLC reported Apr. 20, advising people of the circulation and sale of the contraband products.

The considerable haul of knockoff goods included 50 packages of “Cheetos Puffs,” 175 packages of “Medicated Nerds Rope” in cherry, grape, strawberry and “Super Potent Formula,” 25 “Warheads” candy, 25 “Gasheads” candy, 50 “Sour Gushers” candy, 25 “Airheads Extremes” candy, 75 packages of “Starburst” candy, 75 packages of “Skittles” candy and 200 Chocolate Cream “Stoneo” Cookies. About 680 grams of dried cannabis was also confiscated.

In general, the Cannabis Act prohibits the promotion of cannabis, a cannabis accessory or any service related to cannabis, and even legal sellers cannot offer products that are not packaged and labelled in accordance with federal rules.

In general, the Cannabis Act prohibits promotion of cannabis, a cannabis accessory or any service related to cannabis. / PHOTO BY NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR LIQUOR CORPORATION

The Newfoundland and Labrador find was also determined to be appealing to young persons, contravening a stated objective of the Cannabis Act to restrict their access to cannabis and to protect them from inducement to use weed.

Licensed cannabis retailers and ShopCannabisNL.com follow Health Canada-approved rules for cannabis packaging, which note it must be secure and “may not be confused with traditional snack foods,” according to NLC.

“These products can be used to target children, and demonstrate the indiscriminate and dangerous nature of the illegal trade,” NLC president and CEO Bruce Keating notes in the statement. “The sophistication needed to produce a wide range of packaging that mirrors established brands raises concerns about the ongoing role of organized crime in the illegal market in this province,” Keating points out.

Thanking Canada Post, the RCMP and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, he says the NLC’s enforcement team has a number of ongoing investigations. “We will continue to focus on disrupting and shrinking the illicit market and protecting public safety,” he adds.

Deceptively packaged candy and snack food mimicking popular brands is an issue in many jurisdictions around the world.

“These products can be used to target children, and demonstrate the indiscriminate and dangerous nature of the illegal trade.” / PHOTO BY NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR LIQUOR CORPORATION

Just this week in South Carolina, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning to parents to keep an eye out for cannabis edibles made to look like popular brands of candy, citing the possibility of “overdose because of their delayed effect.”

In Ireland, police urged parents to be on the lookout for fake jellies, with some recently seized candies having as much as 600 milligrams of THC. The packaging has a cannabis logo, but still look like non-weed candy brands.

In late March, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority announced it is investigating the source of cannabis ship edibles, apparently made in California that resulted in the hospitalization of at least two people in Oklahoma.

And closer to home in Toronto, police there issued a public warning in early March after a child who consumed a cannabis edible became ill and had to be treated in hospital.