Remember how we told you all that Colorado was banning weed gummy bears? Well, that new piece of cannabis legislation goes into effect this weekend. If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, or if you thought all of this talk about banning weed-infused candy was just rumor and hoax, we are about to fill you in.
The Great Weed Gummy Bear Glum-Fest
Last summer, we reported that the great state of Colorado was implementing new measures regarding legal recreational cannabis. It wasn’t a new limitation on how many ounces of flower you could purchase at a time. It wasn’t an all-out elimination of the right to grow your own plants. No, what Colorado governor John Hickenlooper was gunning for was gummies. Weed gummy bears to be exact.
House Bill 1436, signed into effect in June 2016, focused on THC-infused gummy candy. Specifically, it was aimed toward THC-infused gummies that looked like regular, wholesome HFCS-infused gummies. Basically, according to the bill, Governor Hickenlooper and concerned parents in the state, weed gummy candy that could potentially attract children is no bueno.
To play Devil’s Advocate, this bill is not totally baseless.
Because kids are, well, kids, they tend to be attracted to brightly colored and whimsically shaped candy. This presents a unique problem in states, like Colorado, with legal recreational cannabis. In short, kids are accidentally eating weed-infused candy and landing themselves in the emergency room because of it.
House Bill 1436 aims to combat this disturbing and dangerous trend. By banning the production and distribution of weed-infused gummies in the shape of humans, animals and fruit, the backers of the bill hope to protect children in their state.
There are some loopholes, however.
The Colorado Department of Revenue will continue to allow cannabis gummies that are made in geometric shapes, like stars and triangles. They will also allow the gummies to have a fruity flavor, as long as they don’t actually depict a fruit. Star-shaped, strawberry-flavored gummies infused with Strawberry Cough, anyone?
Final Hit: Colorado Bans Weed Gummy Bears
House Bill 1436 will take effect this weekend, on October 1st. When it’s completely official, dispensaries will no longer be able to legally sell your favorite creature-shaped candy.
So what are you supposed to do?
If you live in Colorado, we recommend that you stock up now. Call up your dispensary and see if they’re having a “going out of business” sale on soon-to-be illicit weed gummy bears. Just think of it like all the times you’ve headed over to CVS to buy an obscene amount of half-off candy the day after Halloween. And Valentine’s Day. And Easter.
If you live in Colorado and have a kid or three, we want to stress that this ban does not in any way take the place of your responsibilities as a parent. If you’re a pot-lovin’ parent (nothing wrong with that!), the onus is on you to keep your kids safe and away from your stash. Lock up your gummies and other candy in child-proof containers and keep them safely out of reach. You know, like you would do with laundry detergent pods, which kids are also strangely attracted to. In California, a similar ban on weed-infused gummy bears is also underway. We’ll keep you updated on that one.