Mom finds cannabis gummy worms in 5-year-old’s Halloween candy in St. Charles

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Mom finds cannabis gummy worms in 5 year old’s Halloween candy.

Tiffany Burroughs took her 3 boys, ages 1, 2 and 5 years old, to a trunk or treat Halloween event on Saturday.

“They loved going, dressing up in their costumes,” Burroughs said.

The trunk or treat event was held at JJ’s Restaurant in St. Charles, which hosts monthly car shows. Co-owner Stephen Bell said the Halloween-themed event held in October, in conjunction with trunk or treat, always has a big turnout.

As Burroughs’ three boys were collecting candy, she noticed an unusual package of gummy worms in a candy bowl but didn’t think much about it till she got home and inspected the children’s candy.

“I remembered it when we walked through the door, and I said,’ oh yeah, let me see that.’ I looked at it and was like, ‘oh yeah, that’s definitely not for kids.’”

The package said “Delta 88 THC” on it. It’s a cannabis product that’s meant for adults only, and online sellers claim it can make someone high. Burroughs called the police, and officers notified the restaurant.

“Me and the manager and the other owner walked through the lot. I mean we looked through everyone’s candy, and we couldn’t find anything,” said Bell.

Police also checked all the candy and didn’t find any additional packages of Delta 88 THC. Despite concerns that the cannabis gummy worms look just like candy gummy worms, police said they believe the incident was just an accident.

“We don’t believe at this time there was malicious intent. That somehow these gummy worms got mixed in with candy because they do look like candy,” said Lt. Tom Wilkison of the St. Charles Police Department.

But the incident could have ended with a bad outcome. Delta 88 THC contains a cannabinoid derived from hemp known as delta 8. Online sellers say it can make someone high but not like using marijuana and that it helps a person feel calm and relaxed.

However, the FDA issued a bulletin in May about products containing Delta 8, the same product as Delta 88 THC. The FDA’s bulletin came after more than 2,300 calls to a national poison control hotline from people who experienced adverse reactions. The adverse events included hallucinations, vomiting, tremors, anxiety, dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness. 41% of the callers were under 18 years old, and the FDA said there was one pediatric case that resulted in death.

Powers said this was the first time there had been a problem in 25 years of hosting car shows.

“We will always be checking candy now. Not going to let anything slide,” Burroughs said.

Wilkison said this incident is a reminder to all parents to make sure they inspect their children’s Halloween candy, whether they get it at an event before October 31st or on the night of Halloween.