THC-laced gummy bears seized by Quebec police
Marijuana edibles illegal for recreational use in Canada
Five different colours of THC-laced gummy bears seized from teens in Laval, Que., have police worried the benign-looking drugs could be spreading through the market.
"Laval police have never made any seizures of drugs in a jube-jube form before," said Laval police Sgt. Frédéric Jean.
"We have seized pills before, amphetamines, that had cartoons on it and looked like candy. But doesn't look like candy — this is candy."
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THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the ingredient in marijuana that produces a high.
Police seized more than a dozen of the gummies in May after patrol officers spotted two teens smoking pot in a parking in the Chomedy district. Officers searched the car and found drugs and the candy.
They sent the bears for testing with Health Canada and the results recently came back indicating the candy contained THC. The potency still hasn't been determined, Jean said.
THC-infused candies are popular in places like Colorado, where marijuana edibles are legal.
They are, however, illegal in Canada for recreational use.
In June, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that medical marijuana patients can consume marijuana, and not just smoke it, as well as use other extracts and derivatives.
Hidden intoxicant
Jean said police are concerned about the innocuous nature of the candies, which smell fruity and exhibit no sign of its contents, and could fall into the hands of children or hide teen drug use from parents who might not think twice about finding the candies.
Laval police aren't sure where the drugs came from or who is manufacturing them.
"We know there's at least five different batches," Jean said. "More exist, that's for certain."
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