BILL BANS CANDIES THAT TASTE LIKE POT

Hemp-Flavored Sweets Are Not Marketed To Children, Makers Say

Marijuana-flavored Stoner Pops ask customers to "taste the munchie goodness."
A plastic container filled with marijuana-flavored lollipops sits on the
counter at Spencer Gifts in Ross Park Mall, its label beckoning customers
to "taste the munchie goodness."

At $1.99 per pop, the "Stoner Pop" candies are one variety of hemp-flavored
sweets available in novelty stores and on the Internet. The candies combine
an earthy taste and smoky smell with cheeky marketing slogans like "every
lick is like taking a hit."

But state Rep. Thomas C. Corrigan, D-Bucks County, doesn't see any humor in
the products. He plans to introduce a bill today that would outlaw all
candy that tastes like marijuana.

"It is really frightening to develop a taste for marijuana in children
through lollipops," he said.
Mr. Corrigan said he was told of the lollipops by a borough councilman in
his district, who noticed some for sale in Trenton, N.J. He said he has
since heard reports of hemp candy for sale at county fairs, convenience
stores and candy stores.

Some of the candies, like Stoner Pop, are merely flavored like marijuana.
Others, such as those available at www.hempcandy.com, contain oils from a
cannabis plant but do not contain the chemical THC that produces the high
associated with marijuana.

Mr. Corrigan's bill would outlaw retail sales of both types of candies in
Pennsylvania, and he is investigating whether the bill would apply to
Internet sales as well.

Chicago and Suffolk County, N.Y., have already passed similar laws,
according to a news release from Rep. James E. Casorio, D-Irwin, a
co-sponsor of the bill. Legislators in Michigan, New Jersey and New York
also have introduced bills to ban the candies.

Manufacturers and distributors of hemp candy insist that they do not market
to children. The label on each Stoner Pop notes that the lollipops are not
intended for minors, although Spencer Gifts does not restrict sales to
those 18 and older.

One popular Web site, www.chroniccandy.com, asks users to click a button
indicating that they are at least 18 before viewing products such as its
"chronic," "ganja" and "hydro" flavored lollipops.

"It's nothing but a hysterical tough-on-crime sound-bite reaction," said
Thomas Anthony Durkin, attorney for the Corona, Calif.-based Chronic Candy.
"With all due respect to the legislator, I don't believe that there's any
connection between these lollipops and use of drugs."

Those looking for the lollipops in the Pittsburgh area won't find many
places to buy them. All tobacco shops contacted do not carry the lollipops,
nor do most shops that carry other hemp items.

Steve McClain, owner of Slacker on Carson Street on the South Side, said
that he used to carry lollipops and lozenges that contained hemp oil and
"tasted just like you were chewing on a stem."

After the supplier discontinued the items, he declined to find a new
distributor, partly because visiting U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
agents had inquired about the candies.

"It's such a gray area," he said. "I'm glad we decided not to bother with
them."