Toronto’s medical officer of health calls for ban on candy-shaped edibles

Weed has been legal across Canada for nearly six months but Toronto’s medical officer of health is sounding the alarm over cannabis edibles and kids.

The federal government is expected to loop edibles into legalization later this year but Dr. Eileen de Villa is calling for a ban on the sale of ones that look like candy — such as gummy bears and lollipops.

She said other jurisdictions that have candy-shaped edibles on the market, such as Colorado and Washington State, have seen problems, including accidental ingestion.

“They noted that accidental ingestion of cannabis products increased post-legalization and that a significant number of those cases were, in fact, due to products that were appealing to youth and young children, mistaken as just regular candies and in fact were cannabis containing candies,” she said.

De Villa noted that she is in favour of the legalization of marijuana, as well as the introduction of edibles into the market, she just wants there to be certain restrictions.

Toronto’s Board of Health backed de Villa’s concern and voted in favour of asking the federal government to go forward with the ban.