30 pounds of THC-laced Skittles, sour chews seized in Tennessee drug bust, police say
Skittles and other sour candies were among the 200 packs of THC-laced edibles seized by police during a search this week, according to Tennessee authorities.
Sweetwater police arrived at a closed business Tuesday in response to calls about a suspicious person in a car when they spotted drugs on the front seat, police said in a news release.
A search of the vehicle turned up approximately 30 pounds of sweet treats containing THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, hidden in the trunk, according to police. Officers said the drugs were packaged to look like your typical store-bought candy.
“This is a concern of the Sweetwater Police Department because of the way these drugs were packaged, which makes it dangerous for our youth,” Police Chief Robert Byrum said in a statement.
Photos posted online by police show some of the edibles are labeled as containing as much as 40mg of THC. According to Seattle-based cannabis company Leafly, that is enough to cause “very strong euphoria in unaccustomed customers” as well as “impaired coordination and altered perception.”
Edibles that contain 50 mg of THC or more can trigger negative side effects such as nausea and are intended for “experienced THC users only,” according to the company’s website.
In all, Sweetwater police said the THC dosage in the confiscated confections totaled about 159,000 milligrams.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 4:54 PM with the headline "30 pounds of THC-laced Skittles, sour chews seized in Tennessee drug bust, police say."