Man and Woman Arrested in Canada for Distributing '60-Minute Activation' Labeled 'Cannabis Candy' on Halloween

Suspects are a 53-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man
Giving cannabis-containing candies to children aged 6 to 16 years old

Winnipeg Police Twitter warning about candies containing cannabis ingredients. Photo by Winnipeg Police

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Two adults who gave children candy containing cannabis ingredients on Halloween were arrested in Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba in central Canada.

According to Winnipeg police on the 2nd (local time), the suspects are a 53-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, who are accused of giving gummy candies containing THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, to 13 children who came to get candy during Halloween.

The ages of the children who received the candy ranged from as young as 6 years old to as old as 16 years old. In Canada, it is legal to purchase candies containing cannabis ingredients or cannabis from authorized sellers, but buyers must be adults.

Police obtained information from the victims and their parents about a house where candies containing cannabis ingredients were distributed. They identified the suspects' residence, executed a search warrant, and initially detained the suspects, but released them after receiving a court appearance pledge according to criminal procedures.

The charges currently applied to the suspects include four types: 'negligent injury,' 'providing harmful substances with intent to threaten life or cause injury,' 'adult distributing cannabis to minors,' and 'adult distributing illegal cannabis knowingly.' Since there are 13 victims, a total of 52 charges have been applied.

Constable Danny MacKinnon of the Winnipeg Police said at a press conference, "As a parent, I am angry that such a thing happened," and added, "As a police officer, unfortunately, I was not very surprised."

According to Canadian media CBC, parent Jocelyn Cordeiro said she found drug candies in the treat bag her child received and was "surprised to see the phrase 'activated for 60 minutes' on a candy bag that looked so ordinary."

Cordeiro said, "If I hadn’t looked closely because it just looked like a candy package, I would have missed it," and informed other parents of children who went to get candy with her child about this fact and reported it to the police.

Earlier, Winnipeg police reportedly received a report on the 31st of last month that candies containing cannabis ingredients were distributed in Ziploc bags along with normal chocolates and candies. They also warned children and parents to "carefully check the contents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.