Colorado: THC candy banned

Governor John Hickenlooper signed a law banning the production and sale of candy and sweets containing THC in Colorado.

Since the Legalization of cannabis in Colorado in 2014, the authorities are having a hard time regulating the market for space-food. While this market share represents the half of total revenue Following the legalization of cannabis in Colorado, Governor John Hickenlooper has banned the use of THC-infused candies and sweets.

The abundance of these high-THC sweets has led to a significant increase in cases of cannabis food poisoning. These candies, chocolate bars, and cookies look exactly like real sweets. Children can’t resist them, and despite manufacturers’ efforts with the packaging, the number of accidents has not wavered. Until now, every package and every food item had to bear the words « THC ».

«Bad trips» and household accidents are the reason behind this measure

Since the measure is very difficult, if not impossible, to implement on the THC-infused candies, the authorities banned the production of these products as of the 1ster July 2016. Sales will be prohibited starting on 1er October.

In addition to the «stoned» kids arriving at the hospital, many tourists and occasional users end up having a bad trip due to the very high THC content. It often happens that users take several doses, thinking the first one didn’t take effect. The effects set in between 40 minutes and 1 hour and 30 minutes after ingestion.

In Oregon, the limit per serving of space food is 5 mg whereas in Colorado and Washington it stands at 10 mg. Manufacturers who had all bet on cannabis candies are therefore in for a rude awakening. However, it’s not all over for these disillusioned businesspeople.

A company called «Capsule Consulting Group» helps cannabis businesses reinvent themselves to tap into other market sectors. In fact, brands that used to sell cannabis-infused candy have already mastered the extraction techniques and adding THC to a product. They can therefore easily turn to oil or concentrates.

Théo Caillart