'Copycat' cannabis edibles resembling candy causing serious harm to kids, Health Canada warns

Health Canada has issued a warning over “copycat” cannabis edibles that closely resemble popular candies and snack foods, saying it is aware of several instances of children being hospitalized after consuming the illegal products.
The warning, issued Wednesday, mentions several unregulated cannabis products with flashy packaging, pictures and catchy names or symbols that mimic popular brands such as “Stoneo,” packaged to look like Oreo cookies, or “Medicated Sour” Skittles packaged to look like the popular candy.
“Examples of copycat illegal edible cannabis can include cereal and snack foods such as chips, cheese puffs, cookies, chocolate bars, and a variety of popular candies in colourful packaging,” reads the warning.
“These products can contain high amounts of THC, which increases the risk of experiencing adverse effects or poisoning. Parents and children may not be able to recognize these products as anything other than their favourite brands of candy or snack foods.”
Legal cannabis products regulated by Health Canada, are packaged in very plain packaging with the official red cannabis symbol, an excise stamp, health warning labels and clearly stated levels of THC or CBD.
The products must be designed without flashy colours or signage in order to reduce their appeal to kids and youth and to avoid them being confused with other products.
“Illegal edible cannabis products may be packaged to look like popular brands of candies, snacks or other food products that are typically sold at grocery stores, gas stations and corner stores. These products are illegal and prohibited under the Cannabis Act and its Regulations,” Health Canada said in the warning.
In Canada, legal edible cannabis products can only contain up to 10 milligrams of THC per package. If a retailer is selling edible cannabis products that contain more than 10 milligrams of THC per package, it is illegal and unregulated.
Some of the products included in the warning are labelled as “extra strength,” suggesting they may contain more than the 10 milligrams allowed by law.
If you have edibles at home, Health Canada notes you should store them securely away from children, teens, and pets. Consider storing cannabis products in a locked drawer or box, and separate from regular food or drinks.
Signs that a child has ingested cannabis can include chest pain, rapid heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, severe anxiety or panic attack, agitation and confusion, slurred speech, and loss of consciousness.
If you think your child has ingested cannabis and is having any of these symptoms, call 911, or contact your regional poison center.
Health Canada reminds Canadians they should only buy cannabis-related products from provincially and territorially authorized online retailers or authorized retail stores. A list of regulated stores can be found here.
IN DEPTH
What key legislation passed, what's in limbo after Parliament breaks for summer
Now that the House and Senate have adjourned for the summer, CTVNews.ca breaks down what key pieces of legislation passed in the final days of the spring session, and what key government bills will be left to deal with in the fall.

What is Bill C-21? A look at the proposed firearm legislation and its implications
What does Bill C-21 propose to do? From a handgun 'freeze' to 'red' and 'yellow' flag laws, CTVNews.ca explores the federal government's proposed firearm legislation.
'Anger that I haven't seen before': Singh harassment incident puts renewed spotlight on politicians' security
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's recent encounter with protesters at an Ontario election campaign stop, where he was verbally harassed, is casting a renewed spotlight on politicians' security, with Singh telling CTV News that he's witnessing a level of anger he hasn't seen before.
Where the six Conservative leadership candidates stand on key policy issues
Six candidates are on the ballot to become the Conservative Party's next leader. In holding rallies, doing media interviews, and participating in debates, each contender has been releasing details of their policy platforms. Here's a snapshot of where the candidates stand on the economy, housing, climate, defence and social issues.
Liberals' deal with NDP will keep Trudeau minority in power for 3 more years
The federal Liberals and New Democrats have finalized an agreement that, if maintained, would keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government in power until June 2025, in exchange for progress on longstanding NDP priorities. Trudeau announced Tuesday morning that the confidence-and-supply agreement has been brokered, and is effective immediately.
Opinion
OPINION | Don Martin: The fall of Justin Trudeau has begun
'After a weeks-long survey of just about everyone I've met ... the overall judgment on Justin Trudeau is one of being a political write-off,' writes Don Martin in an opinion column for CTVNews.ca. 'He’s too woke, too precious, preachy in tone, exceedingly smug, lacking in leadership, fading in celebrity, slow to act, short-sighted in vision and generally getting more irritating with every breathlessly whispered public pronouncement,' Martin writes.

OPINION | Don Martin: It's time for the whiners to win and the government to unclog the airports
It's time for the whiners to win and the government to reopen the skies, a return to those glory times of flying when the biggest complaints were expensive parking, a middle seat and stale pretzels, commentator Don Martin writes in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
OPINION | Don Martin: A basic Doug Ford takes a middle-of-the-road victory lap in Ontario election
In an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says Doug Ford coasted to majority re-election victory in Ontario by sticking to the middle of the road: 'Not too progressive. Not too conservative.'
OPINION | Don Martin: Premier Jason Kenney deserved a better death
There's a lesson for Canada's political leaders in the short life and quick death of Jason Kenney as premier of Alberta, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
OPINION | Don Martin: Ford on cruise control to victory in Ontario while Alberta votes on killing Kenney as UCP leader
It's becoming a make-or-break week for two Conservative premiers as their futures pivot on a pair of defining moments, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. Capitol riot: More people turn up with evidence against Donald Trump
More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former U.S. President Donald Trump, says a member of a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.

Dog left with lost baggage at Toronto Pearson Airport for about 21 hours
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
Chinese-Canadian tycoon due to stand trial in China, embassy says
Chinese-Canadian billionaire Xiao Jianhua, who went missing in Hong Kong five years ago, was due to go on trial in China on Monday, the Canadian embassy in Beijing said.
'Hell on earth': Ukrainian soldiers describe life on eastern front
Torched forests and cities burned to the ground. Colleagues with severed limbs. Bombardments so relentless the only option is to lie in a trench, wait and pray. Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russia is waging a fierce offensive, describe life during what has turned into a gruelling war of attrition as apocalyptic.
Video shows police in Ohio kill Black man in hail of gunfire
A Black man was unarmed when Akron police chased him on foot and killed him in a hail of gunfire, but officers believed he had shot at them earlier from a vehicle and feared he was preparing to fire again, authorities said Sunday at a news conference.
Poorest Canadians nearly 4 times more likely to die from opioids than richest: study
A new study looking at opioid deaths across Canada over 17 years has found that low-income Canadians are almost four times more likely to die from opioids than high-income Canadians.
Shooting at Williams Lake, B.C. stampede injures 2, forces evacuation
Two people are injured and a third is in custody after what RCMP describe as a 'public shooting' at a rodeo in B.C. Sunday.
After a metre of rain, 32,000 around Sydney, Australia, may need to flee
More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds were told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes Monday as Australia's largest city faces its fourth, and possibly worst, round of flooding in less than a year and a half.
Pope Francis denies he's planning to resign soon
Pope Francis has dismissed reports that he plans to resign in the near future, saying he is on track to visit Canada this month and hopes to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible after that.