The Dangers of Halloween Drug-Laced Candies
This isn’t your typical Halloween candy. Two men were arrested last week after police caught them carrying three pounds of ecstasy-laced candy in the town of Eugene, Oregon.
Bradley Lyndon Cosby and James Richard Cossairt, both 35, were arrested and slapped with drug charges after officers found the men carrying a bag with 150 pieces of the drug-infused candies.
Officials quickly warned locals about these questionable confections, noting that several fatal overdoses have occurred due to inconsistent doses of ecstasy in the treats.
“The thing about the ecstasy candy is we really don’t know the potency of it. It’s sort of an unknown,” said Julie Hynes of the Lane County Health Department. “So when people are taking this, they might think they can take more than they ordinarily might.”
A Halloween Danger
This is hardly the first time that drug-laced candy has been discovered during the Halloween season. Last October, police in a suburb outside of Philadelphia seized 40 pounds of questionable holiday candy that was laced with THC. The candy ranged in size from bite-sized pieces to chunks as large as an orange.
The reported mastermind behind the THC manufacturing was a 24-year-old West Chester University student who was living in an on-campus apartment. Officials alleged that he intended to sell the marijuana candies to other students.
Last Halloween, a woman in Salinas, California, got more than she bargained for when she inadvertently ate a Snickers bar laced with LSD. The 32-year-old was driving when she ate the candy bar and soon after “was feeling the effects of almost a panic attack and then euphoria all mixed in.”
The woman was taken to a local hospital and eventually released after the hallucinogen wore off.
While drug-laced candy can be difficult to spot, concerned parents should check all Halloween candy and other edible items.In Orange County, California, a two-year-old boy was sent to the hospital after eating Halloween candy laced with meth. His parents told police that they noticed he was acting strangely, reported having nightmares and wouldn’t go back to sleep.
Lab tests from the hospital confirmed that the boy had ingested methamphetamine. Medical staff immediately provided treatment and the boy was released home afterwards.
While drug-laced candy can be difficult to spot, concerned parents should check all Halloween candy and other edible items to make sure the packaging hasn’t been opened or tampered with before their children eat them.
Learn more about the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse.