California is warning against intoxicating food and beverages containing hemp, a form of Cannabis, that are designed to appeal to children.
Hemp is supposed to have low amounts of THC, the active psychoactive in marijuana, but the California government said that products designed to look like Cheetos, Fruity Pebbles, and Sour Patch Kids may contain intoxicating levels of the drug.
“Industrial hemp-infused products designed to resemble popular brands appeal to our most vulnerable–children and teens–and pose serious adverse health risks that we must shield them from,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Friday.
These hemp food and beverage products are often sold at gas stations, smoke shops and liquor stores, advertising language such as “medicated”, “THC” and “CBD.”
People who eat the products can suffer effects such as difficulty breathing, lethargy, dizziness, nausea, and loss of coordination, and side effects from synthetic cannabinoids include rapid heart rate, agitation, vomiting, trouble breathing and psychosis, among others.
In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued emergency regulations that industrial hemp food products, beverages and dietary supplements have no detectable THC per serving, can't be sold to those under the age of 21 and have no more than five servings per package.