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Will Candy that Resembles Illegal Drugs Make Kids More Likely to Want to Do Drugs?
Would it bother you if your kids ate this candy?
Will candy fashioned to look like a marijuana leaf make your kids more likely to smoke actual marijuana? Do you really want to find out?
When I was a kid I used to love the cylinder-shaped gum rolled in white paper and boxed in rectangular-shaped packs that looked exactly like cigarettes. If you blew out on the end, a tiny plume of sugar even flew out of the tip, just like actual smoke. And guess what? Eventually I started smoking cigarettes (although thankfully, I’ve long since kicked the habit). Was it the gum that made me start? I can’t say for sure, but I sure thought it was cool to pretend I was smoking.
The current candy in question, Pothead Ring Pops, Pothead Sour Gummies and Pothead Lollipops, is shaped like a marijuana leaf, not a joint (and contains no actual marijuana). But still. Clearly the kids who are buying and eating the candy think there’s a cool association with the real thing. And the president of the company who makes the candy even admits it’s meant to promote the legalization of marijuana, according to Fox News.
The packaging contains the word “Legalize” as well as a picture of peace-sign-wearing, joint-smoking hippie.
We can debate whether marijuana should or shouldn’t be legalized. But the fact remains that it’s currently illegal. And regardless of that fact (or in addition to it), I wouldn’t want my kids smoking anything or having a good (tasty?) association with anything that’s smokable — legal or otherwise. I also don’t think kids should have any part in the debate over the legalization of marijuana.
I’d hate to think any store near me might be selling this candy. If they did, I can tell you that my family would not be frequenting it. There are novelty items, and then there are items that are just plain inappropriate.
Would you care if your kids came home with a Pothead Ring Pop?
Image: KalanLP.com
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9 Comments
Megan A commented on Oct 10 11 at 4:59 pmI loved candy/gum cigarettes too, but I never started smoking. My parents didn’t buy candy cigarettes for me, I got them from friends or with my own money. My mom disapproved of them.
the pot candy? that’s just ridiculous! I’m for the legalization of marijuana but I still don’t want my kid with a ‘ring pot’. There’s no good reason for it.
I think a kid who has candy pot, (or candy cigarettes for that matter) MAY be more likely to do it, not because of the candy, but because the fact that they are allowed to have it says something about the attitudes of their parents.
goddess commented on Oct 10 11 at 5:16 pmI totally favor the legalization of marijuana. However, I find the idea of marketing it via candy imposters to kids as dangerous and undesirable. We don’t make their juice look like bottles of rum, do we?
CW commented on Oct 11 11 at 6:23 amIsn’t this a novelty product aimed at young adults? I could totally see this being a popular gag gift among college students.
Alison commented on Oct 11 11 at 12:08 pmI’m with CW. It is probably aimed at young adults. I wouldn’t expect to find it at Kroger. If so, who cares if it is meant to promote legalization? Free speech (and this would fall into that category) is a good thing.
Linda, t.o.o. commented on Oct 11 11 at 12:34 pmThis clearly isn’t meant for children,
Licia commented on Oct 11 11 at 4:26 pmIt wouldn’t bother me if my teen came home with this, and I don’t think this is targeted at anyone younger than that anyway.
juliamae commented on Oct 11 11 at 11:23 pmthis is something i have actually seen in “Spencer’s” which is a young adult/gag store and sales things like vibrators as well. People just need to regulate what stores your children actually go into and they should be fine.I am for the legalization and would buy this for myself or one of my friends as a gag! This is not aimed for children and in no time soon will you find this product at walmart! Its not a big deal and this type of thing has been around for a long time…its not a new thing.
Laura Vivoni (@mantybat) commented on Oct 11 11 at 11:33 pmI did love the cigarette candy gum and the candy sticks that also looked like cigarettes with a tiny red dot at the end. I don’t smoke and I have allowed my kids to eat the cigarette candy yet I have told them how it’s OK to eat a candy that looks like a cigarette but it’s not OK to smoke, and even though they seem to get it I will continue to teach them through example.
About marihuana, I do not approve of the legalization of it, and I would not buy the candy and I would not want my kids to buy it either. If they do it after they are 18 then I wouldn’t say anything but before that I would be unamused. I see this candy in the same category as penis gummies and such adult candy that are only sold in novelty stores. I really doubt they would sell them in regular grocery stores.
Brandon commented on Oct 29 11 at 9:54 pmThis is a NOVELTY item aimed at adults. Why do people assume that because they don’t agree with something, it is their moral responsibility to BAN “cause o’ the children”. YOU are the parent, get off your butt and do some parenting. You can’t ban something like this, as to do so would be a clear constitutional violation.
I highly doubt you have to worry about typical convenience/grocery stores selling this in the candy isle, as most are worried about their reputation as wholesome family stores that wouldn’t want to be associated with anything controversial. So get off the alarmist bandwagon that thinks our children are fragile pieces of glass that will break with any hint of corruption, and come back down to reality. I swear, people like this are more out of touch with reality than stoners.
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