SUPERVISORS BAN SWEETS THAT TASTE LIKE POT

Moved by fears that marijuana-flavored candy could be "a gateway"
into the world of illegal drugs, Alameda County supervisors voted to
ban the sale of the hemp-infused sweets in unincorporated areas of the county.

Supervisor Nate Miley authored the ordinance after parents in his
Castro Valley district complained that the candy is becoming popular
among teenagers in the community. The parents, Miley said, are afraid
the candy will lead to marijuana and other drugs.

But the candies' manufacturer cried foul at the board's action,
asserting it obscures the fact that the lollipops, gumdrops and other
candies designed to taste like marijuana contain no THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana.

"If you want to make this illegal to anyone under 18, no problem,"
said Tony Van Pelt, owner of Chronic Candy, which sells hemp-flavored
lollipops in liquor stores and other adult-oriented businesses. "Our
product isn't intended for kids. But as an adult, don't take away my
right to choose."

With Supervisor Scott Haggerty absent due to shoulder surgery, the
ordinance passed on a 4-0 vote on Tuesday. It says,
"Marijuana-flavored and marijuana-themed candies represent a risk
that induces children and young people to smoke marijuana and
constitute an indirect marketing campaign which targets youth."

It also says, "Popular personalities such as Snoop Dogg and Paris
Hilton are endorsing this marijuana-flavored candy, thereby
encouraging the use of such candy by young people and thereby making
the use of this candy attractive to young people."

Van Pelt said Hilton and Snoop Dogg volunteered to take part in
commercials for his product, but his company has taken pains to keep
the candy from the under-age market. Van Pelt said the board action
echoes similar laws passed in New York and Chicago over the past 18 months.

Ironically, he said, the actions always result in a surge in sales of
his lollipops, which cost $2 each. Van Pelt said he couldn't afford
the kind of advertising his company gets for free every time a local
controversy erupts surrounding pot candy.

Hits on the Chronic Candy Web site more than doubled after news hit
of the Alameda County vote, he said.

Miley has long supported legalizing the use of marijuana for
medicinal purposes, but he said that by authoring the ordinance he
isn't diminishing his support of medicinal marijuana in any way.

"I don't think the action we're taking today is incompatible or
inconsistent with our (the Board of Supervisors') support of
medicinal marijuana," he said.