DES MOINES, Iowa -- Colorful and fun marijuana infused candy is popping up around Iowa just a month ahead of Halloween.
"The biggest concern that we have is, each package has about 500 miligrams of THC." Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek tells WHO Radio News. "Even for a heavy user, that would be something you could potentially overdose on."
Parizek says the candy is disguised in familiar candy packaging like Skittles or Nerds, and warns parents to be cautious about checking for words and labels that indicate THC content.
Parizek doesn't think people will buy the illegal TCH candy to hand out to children at Halloween, he says they'll want it for themselves, but a child in the home could easily mistake the THC candy for the real thing.
Some of the THC candy names are obvious, like WeedTarts, and Stoner Patch. Others are more difficult to catch, like Nerds Rope and Tropical Medicated Skittles. They look like the real candy, but they're not, and he says the amount of THC in a package could make a child very ill.
"It's usually pretty small. There might be a weed leaf down in the corner, or there might be a little warning in fine print." Parizek says. "What you do see is a brightly colored package that looks like Skittles that you could buy at the store."
He says detectives worked with the postmaster general to figure out that the candies are coming to Iowa in large quantities from states where recreational marijuana is legal.