The Florida Sheriff's Association (FSA) is telling parents to be on the lookout for pot in their child's trick or treat bag, and this warning comes with the slogan ‘Keep Florida away from pot.'
Special interest groups advocating marijuana decriminalization say the timing of this warning is less about Halloween candy, and much more about the voting season.
The FSA isn’t hiding it’s preference when it comes to the medical marijuana expansion amendment to the Florida Constitution.
"Children who go door to door may one day be at risk of receiving marijuana products if amendment 2 comes to pass,” reads a Monday post on FSA’s Facebook page.
The overwhelming majority of commenters on the post call the post unfounded.
“If the point was to inflict harm to children, why would [predators] use a "drug" that at most would just get them too high,” one commenter wrote.
Others said, "This is probably a political scare tactic to persuade people from voting for Amendment 2," and "I don't know anyone personally that would give away free pot."
“The challenges that we're facing now are the lack of understanding and fear mongering that’s taking place by law enforcement agencies,” said Shannon Schott, an attorney for NORML, a non-profit advocacy group. “Medical marijuana is already being sold in Florida, but under strict guidelines. Amendment 2 expands the base of physicians who can prescribe and patients who can receive medication.”
The hash candy isn't cheap. Some online sites selling THC infused candy for $23 for 10 small pieces.
Police confirm no recorded prior instances of finding marijuana laced Halloween candy in Jacksonville. Atlantic Beach police did report confiscating some THC-infused candy off of an adult in 2015 but determined the incident to be isolated.
“In my mind, and I’m a parent, there's no fear of medical marijuana being mixed in with candy,” said Schott.
It's always a good idea to check a child’s candy after trick or treating for anything unusual. Police recommend throwing out anything that's not a known brand or not in its original wrapper.