FDA and FTC crack down on companies selling foods with Delta-8 THC

The U.S. government is cracking down on products marketed to look like children’s snacks that contain Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive chemical.

As THC edibles become more popular, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are working to stop companies that sell them in packaging that mimics snacks marketed to children.

It’s the second time in a year that federal agencies are cracking down on companies selling Delta-8 products that look like cookies or candies.

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Channel 2 Washington Correspondent Candice Cole spoke to experts on the warning in Washington, and potential risk for American children.

“They are so similar to foods you would find in the supermarket. To packages of Oreos, or Sour Patch Kids, or Doritos, that children could certainly mistake for conventional foods,” Attorney Christine Delorme, FTC Division of Advertising Practices, said.

Six companies were hit with cease and desist letters for what the FDA and FTC call “deceptively similar” marketing.

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Dr. Gabrina Dixon, a pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, told Channel 2 Action News that edibles are dangerous for kids because if they eat too much of it, they can lose consciousness.

“It’s a big concern because we see patients who come in unconscious, not able to breath on their own due to the ingestion of edible THC,” Dixon said.

Between 2021 and 2023, more than 300 adverse reactions to THC-laced edibles involving children were reported, according to the FDA. It’s something Dixon warns parents about often.

“Now a lot of places -- marijuana is legal. And so, I tell parents that you have to treat it like you would medication -- keeping it safe, locking it up because it can be very detrimental to children,” Dixon said.

Reactions to Delta-8 THC often involve hallucinations and vomiting. Dixon said to watch out for behaviors in your children like slowing or slurred speech, they could be signs that they’ve eaten a product with THC in it.

Dixon said if that happens, call poison control and get to the emergency room immediately.

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