Concern over pot's appeal to children
Source: Agencies |
July 11, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WITH recreational marijuana legalized for adults in Washington state, drug abuse prevention advocates are pushing for rules to shield children from treats containing pot.
A flood of buzz-inducing cookies, candy and beverages is expected to hit the shelves of state-licensed marijuana stores starting next year. Some medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington already sell lollipops and other treats containing marijuana.
"The rules for labeling should be broadened to prohibit images and messages that are designed to attract young people," said retired University of Washington social work professor Roger Roffman.
Roffman, co-editor of "Cannabis Dependence: Its Nature, Consequences, and Treatment," was among a group of drug abuse prevention advocates who wrote a letter last month to state regulators noting that medical marijuana dispensaries were selling brightly colored lollipops, cotton candy and snow cones with an "obvious appeal to children."
They suggested adding rules to ensure that wrappers "not bear a reasonable resemblance to packaging of any commercially branded candy that is not a marijuana-infused product."
That was a reference to items such Buddahfingers, Pot Tarts and Stoney Ranchers, all made by Beyond Bomb, a California enterprise shut down by federal authorities in 2006. Its packaging closely resembled existing food products.
Washington and Colorado, which long ago legalized medical marijuana, last year became the first US states to allow the recreational use of pot, which the federal government still considers an illegal drug. They already plan advertising restrictions, but draft rules released in Washington do not place similar curbs on packaging.
Mikhail Carpenter, spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said it was weighing whether to tighten the rules around packaging.
"Obviously, we don't want cartoon characters on labels," he said.
A flood of buzz-inducing cookies, candy and beverages is expected to hit the shelves of state-licensed marijuana stores starting next year. Some medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington already sell lollipops and other treats containing marijuana.
"The rules for labeling should be broadened to prohibit images and messages that are designed to attract young people," said retired University of Washington social work professor Roger Roffman.
Roffman, co-editor of "Cannabis Dependence: Its Nature, Consequences, and Treatment," was among a group of drug abuse prevention advocates who wrote a letter last month to state regulators noting that medical marijuana dispensaries were selling brightly colored lollipops, cotton candy and snow cones with an "obvious appeal to children."
They suggested adding rules to ensure that wrappers "not bear a reasonable resemblance to packaging of any commercially branded candy that is not a marijuana-infused product."
That was a reference to items such Buddahfingers, Pot Tarts and Stoney Ranchers, all made by Beyond Bomb, a California enterprise shut down by federal authorities in 2006. Its packaging closely resembled existing food products.
Washington and Colorado, which long ago legalized medical marijuana, last year became the first US states to allow the recreational use of pot, which the federal government still considers an illegal drug. They already plan advertising restrictions, but draft rules released in Washington do not place similar curbs on packaging.
Mikhail Carpenter, spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said it was weighing whether to tighten the rules around packaging.
"Obviously, we don't want cartoon characters on labels," he said.
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