Business
State AGs urge Congress to clamp down on ‘copycat’ marijuana edibles
Nearly two dozen state attorneys general from across the U.S. signed a letter to congressional leaders this week urging lawmakers to crack down on marijuana edibles brands that imitate popular mainstream candies.
It’s a practice that has been going on for years in the legal marijuana industry.
The letter, signed by 23 attorneys general, was sent to the heads of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
The AGs wrote that they’re “gravely concerned about the dangers of copycat tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) edibles in our communities, particularly the risk they pose to our children.”
“Congress should immediately enact legislation authorizing trademark holders of well-known and trusted consumer packaged goods to hold accountable those malicious actors who are using those marks to market illicit copycat THC edibles to children,” the letter notes while blaming “illicit operators” for the “growing problem.”
The letter cites several examples of imitation marijuana edibles that played on popular mainstream candies and snacks – Oreos cookies, Doritos chips and Nerds candy, for example – and noted that children in multiple states have been hospitalized after mistaking the THC-infused products for normal food.
Signatories included AGs from Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington state.