NYU School of Global Public Health researchers have found that some cannabis edibles have a striking resemblance to popular snack foods such as Doritos, and may be easily confused for them, especially by young children, finds a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
These “copycat” edibles also have levels of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol or THC that far exceed the limits set by cannabis regulations in US states.
“At first glance, most of the packages look almost exactly like familiar snacks. If these copycat cannabis products are not stored safely, there is the potential for accidental ingestion by children or adults,” said Associate Professor Danielle Ompad, lead author of the study.
Edibles are a popular and growing segment of the cannabis market. In states where cannabis use is legal, more than half (56%) of cannabis users consume edibles.
Some edibles that use similar branding and imagery to mimic popular snack foods have been highlighted by the media. These copycat cannabis products are a public health concern given that people – including children – could mistake them for snacks and accidentally consume them. From 2017 to 2019, US Poison Control Centers handled nearly 2000 cases of young children ages 0 to 9 consuming edibles.
To gain a deeper understanding of copycat edibles, the researchers collected hundreds of photos of cannabis products and analysed their packaging, including branding, names, imagery, and THC content. Looking at the photos for 267 edibles, they found that 8% (22 photos) closely resembled 13 different snack products.
Twelve of the products were candies or sweet snacks (fruit chews, fruit snacks, rice and marshmallow treats, and gummies) and one was a salty snack (chips). Eight of the 13 packages used the exact brand or product name of the original product; the remaining five used names that were similar (for instance, “Stoner Patch Dummies” instead of “Sour Patch Kids”). Seven of the packages used the same cartoon or brand character as the original product.
Most US states that have legalised cannabis limit the amount of THC in edibles, generally 5–10mg of THC per dose and 100mg per package. According to the packaging information, these edibles contained an average of 459mg of THC with a range of 300 to 600 mg per package, far exceeding the maximum limits.
“While each package is likely intended to include multiple doses, few packages indicate the serving size or number of servings,” said Dr Ompad. “Moreover, if we’re considering 10mg a standard dose, these products could contain an alarming 30 to 60 doses per package.”
The findings highlight the risk that these copycat products could be attractive to children, given the colourful packaging and use of familiar branding and characters.
“Policies to prevent cannabis packaging from appealing to children haven’t stopped copycat products from entering the market — nor have food brands taking legal action against cannabis companies for copyright infringement,” said Dr Ompad. “People who purchase edibles that look like snack foods should store them separately from regular snacks and out of reach of children.”
Source: New York University
