With brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary…
• The New York Times reports that "America is at an interesting crossroads: one where Big Candy, vilified in the wellness era as a primary source of refined sugar, has become an unlikely sheriff in the Wild West of recreational marijuana consumption roamed by pandemic-stressed adults."
The problem is this - packaging created by edible cannabis companies that seems designed to deliberately mimic traditional candy packaging. Think Zombie Skittles (with THC) vs. Skittles.
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, owned by Mars Inc., has filed a suit "against five companies for selling cannabis-infused edibles that look like … Skittles, Starburst and Life Savers."
In recent years, the story says, "lawsuits similar to the one filed by Wrigley have been brought by the Hershey Company (against TinctureBelle for products resembling Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Heath bars, Almond Joy bars and York peppermint patties), Mondelez International (against a company hawking Stoney Patch Kids) and Ferrara Candy Company (against a store selling Medicated Nerds Rope). These lawsuits have all been settled, with the smaller companies agreeing to halt production and sales of the offending products.
"Many public health officials fret that without proper regulation, accidental ingestion cases will continue to rise among children as the availability of edibles grows. Some poison control centers have already observed this trend in their data."
I think retailers have to do the right thing here and serve as shoppers' first ,line of defense against this nonsense. Make clear to manufacturers that you won't carry packaging that appears to be deliberately deceptive. Be the agent for the consumer, not the supplier. Do the right thing.
