Needle in candy and cannabis-laced treats spark RCMP Halloween warning

The RCMP is informing parents to enactment vigilant this Halloween aft a needle was precocious recovered successful candy astatine a Newfoundland trick-or-treat event, and amerciable cannabis-laced treats, disguised to look similar fashionable brands, were discovered connected Vancouver Island.

Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP took to societal media connected Oct. 26 stating that a needle was recovered successful a Twizzler pursuing a Trunk-or-Treat lawsuit astatine the A&W edifice successful the Bay Roberts area. A photograph of the dainty with an embedded needle was attached to the societal media post.

“Bay Roberts RCMP asks parents of those who attended a Trunk oregon Treat lawsuit astatine A&W successful Bay Roberts to cheque each treats received. A needle was recovered successful a treat,” RCMP said successful an X post.

On Oct. 29, RCMP dismantled a transgression cognition connected Vancouver Island and arrested six suspects believed to beryllium progressive successful the organisation of amerciable cannabis-laced edibles.

Thousands of counterfeit cannabis-laced edibles were seized, including cocoa bars, candies and chips with packaging resembling fashionable name-brand snacks, similar Kit-Kat and Rolos.

“Our investigators aft executing a warrant, they discovered implicit 120,000 antithetic types of candy bars, cocoa bars, chips, that were laced with antithetic amounts of THC,” said Cpl. Arash Seyed, a spokesperson for the RCMP national superior and organized transgression division.

“We bash judge they person been distributed, but don’t cognize the extent. Obviously for children, if you look astatine the packaging, it is precise hard to separate from the existent thing, particularly if you don’t work the good people successful immoderate of these, it tin airs a superior wellness hazard for children and adults,” helium told Global News.

This isn’t the archetypal clip a unsafe entity has been recovered successful kids’ Halloween candy.

Last year, needles were recovered poking retired of a cocoa bar that was collected during trick-or-treating successful Mississauga, Ont., connected Halloween successful 2 abstracted streets successful the city.

The archetypal portion of candy, an Oh Henry bar, was recovered successful a neighbourhood southbound of Mississauga Road, portion the second crisp object was discovered successful an Aero cocoa barroom successful the Lorne Park area, constabulary said.

“These are types of situations that you perceive astir each truthful often … a needle successful a battalion of candy oregon I deliberation the archetypal communicative was razor blades and apples,” said Lewis Smith, the manager of nationalist projects astatine the Canada Safety Council. 

“It’s a communicative that you perceive each twelvemonth astir Halloween. But arsenic acold arsenic however predominant it is, I’ll enactment immoderate of the minds astatine easiness here. It’s a reasonably uncommon occurrence.”

Of course, helium understands that this connection whitethorn not beryllium wholly reassuring for parents who privation to guarantee their child’s safety. That’s why, helium said, it’s ever a bully thought to err connected the broadside of caution.

Before heading retired for trick-or-treating, Health Canada recommends reminding your children not to accept, oregon particularly eat, thing that isn’t commercially wrapped.

Having meal with your kids beforehand tin besides assistance curb the temptation to snack excessively overmuch on the way.

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“The tampering tin hap truthful suddenly. And that’s wherefore it’s truthful important to beryllium diligent, due to the fact that if that tampering has happened and you don’t announcement it instantly erstwhile your kid receives the candy … that’s wherever problems tin decidedly travel in,” Smith explained.

When trick-or-treating wraps up, marque it a precedence to cheque each of your kids’ candy for immoderate signs of tampering, Smith said.

If determination are immoderate homemade treats oregon candy without a wrapper, instantly propulsion those out. Then cheque each wrapped treats for tiny holes successful the wrappers. Throw retired thing that’s torn, unwrapped oregon successful escaped packaging.

“Diligence is precise overmuch due successful a concern similar this. You privation to look astatine each portion of candy that your kid has,” Smith said.

“When we’re looking astatine packaged candies, you privation to look for immoderate motion that it’s been tampered with. So that tin see immoderate packaging that looks somewhat off. You tin look for pinholes, an injected substance oregon a needle, immoderate grounds astatine each that the bundle has been opened.”

If you find thing that remotely looks tampered with, it’s champion to discard the candy, helium said. And if you person superior concerns, interaction the section non-emergency constabulary to study the issue.

This way, they tin support an oculus retired for akin situations successful your neighbourhood, Smith added.

It’s not conscionable tampered candy that parents request to ticker for; they besides person to beryllium mindful of imaginable allergens successful unfamiliar candy oregon cocoa ingredients.

Common nutrient allergens recovered successful candy are peanuts, histrion nuts, soy, wheat, beverage and eggs, according to Health Canada.

If determination are allergies successful your household, Health Canada recommends cautiously speechmaking the labels connected treats. Only springiness your kid candies that intelligibly database their ingredients, and debar products with informing labels specified arsenic ‘may contain’ statements.

“Candy does travel successful peanut-free packaging. So support an oculus retired for that. That awesome astatine the bottommost close country that specifically has a peanut with a ellipse and a transverse done it. In circumstances similar that, you tin safely presume the candy hasn’t been successful interaction with nuts and is harmless to eat,” Smith said.

— with files from Global News’ Amy Judd