TASTE FOR POT? AVOID CHICAGO

CHICAGO -- The City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday banning the
sale of marijuana-flavored lollipops, gumdrops and other treats,
becoming the first major city to prohibit the confections that have
appeared in convenience stores nationwide.

The candies are legal because they are made with hemp oil, an
ingredient used in health foods and some household products. The oil
imparts marijuana's grassy taste but not the high.

"I can't imagine the degree and the extent to which people will go to
make a buck -- and to make a buck on kids, trying to get them to
experiment with something that is going to be a lead-in to the use of
marijuana," said Alderman Edward M. Burke, who sponsored the measure.

Other cities are weighing the issue. A New York City councilwoman
plans to hold hearings on the candies this summer, and an Atlanta
suburb passed a resolution opposing them, which caused merchants
there to remove the treats from their shelves.

In Chicago, stores selling the candy will face fines up to $500 and
possible suspension or revocation of their business licenses.

The candies are sold under names such as Purple Haze and Rasta.
Companies that manufacture the products say the candies are geared
toward adults and that they advise retailers to sell to people 18 and older.

"This is an adult product," said Tony Van Pelt, president of one
manufacturer, Chronic Candy. "I don't intend and I don't want kids to
eat it." There are 78 million pot smokers out there [in the United
States] That's who I'm going after."