BILL PROHIBITS SALE OF HEMP, MARIJUANA-FLAVORED CANDIES

A State Lawmaker Who Proposed The Legislation Says Those Sweets Could
Lead Children To Drugs.

Marijuana may be off limits in Michigan but marijuana-flavored
candies with names like Stoner Pops and Chronic Candy are perfectly
legal and at least one state lawmaker is pushing for a change.

Following a trend of state and cities cracking down on marijuana and
hemp-flavored candies critic say send a bad message to kids, state
Rep. Dudley Spade, D-Tipton, has proposed a bill to amend Michigan's
penal code to ban the sale of candy and other confections that
contain hemp, hemp flavoring or marijuana flavoring. Violations would
result in up to one year in jail, a $5,000 fine or both.

"Drug use is among the top issues law enforcement officers deal with
in terms of crimes among young people," said Spade, who is also
working with the state attorney general's office to determine if some
of the ingredients in pot-flavored candies are already illegal,
making the product illegal. "We just don't need this kind of product
out there and so easy to purchase. It's just a temptation we don't need."

The bill does not cover Internet sales, which involves interstate
commerce issues. Spade said his initial intent is to get such treats
off retail shelves.

Michigan isn't the first state to consider a crackdown on pot or
hemp-flavored treats. Chicago banned it and Illinois, Texas and other
states are considering similar bans.

But hemp supporters say such proposed bans unfairly lump pot-flavored
candies with hemp candies, which are made with hemp seed oil and is
legal under federal government standards. Pot-flavored candies are
made from cannabis flower essential oil. And while the candies don't
cause a high, some hemp supporters say the oil may not be covered
under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.

Hemp and marijuana are cousin plants but hemp does not contain
tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the ingredient in marijuana that gives
users a high.

"Hemp and marijuana are not the same," said Tim Beck, executive
director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws. "It's a gimmick to sell a product because
of the lure of forbidden fruit."

Mark Gresser of St. Clair Shores thinks Michigan's proposed ban is ridiculous.

"It's crazy," Gresser said. "It's sterile candy. That'd be like
someone saying you can't wear hemp clothing because it'll lead you to pot."

Spade said he first stumbled upon pot-flavored candy while shopping
for a birthday present at Spencer Gifts, a novelty store, at a local
mall. There, by the cash register, were Pot Suckers. He worries the
products are aimed at kids.

"The concern is that it glorifies marijuana to make it seem cool and
OK," Spade said.

At least one distributor has already yanked its pot-flavored
lollipops from store shelves because of its controversial nature.

But Steven Trachtenberg, president of ICUP Inc. -- which distributed
Pot Suckers lollipops and pulled them from shelves in July -- said
Pot Suckers were aimed at an older market and it's ridiculous and
unfounded to suggest marijuana-flavored candy would lead to future drug use.

"We have to wake up and look at parenting skills, our education
system," he said. "We're being used as a scapegoat for a problem
that's not going to be exacerbated by a fricking lollipop."