A new study finds almost 10% of edible marijuana products resemble snack foods that are appealing to children.
Researchers from New York University evaluated the packaging of 267 types of edible marijuana products, including candies and chips. They found 8% closely resembled 13 different snack products, HealthDay reports.
Twelve of the edibles resembled candies or sweet snacks, such as fruit snacks or chews, gummies and rice and marshmallow treats, while one resembled salty chips. Eight of the products used the exact brand name of the original product, while others used similar names. Seven of the products’ packaging used the same cartoon or brand character as the original snack product.
“At first glance, most of the packages look almost exactly like familiar snacks. If these copycat cannabis products are not stored safely, there is the potential for accidental ingestion by children or adults,” study lead author Danielle Ompad said in a news release. “People who purchase edibles that look like snack foods should store them separately from regular snacks and out of reach of children.”