Edibles are a truly great invention, if only because everyone has a crazy story about that time they ate just a little too much and thought they were dying or whatever. In states where marijuana is legal, the edible industry has flourished, with all kinds of different kinds, shapes, and textures of edibles being sold.
There's just one issue: the more recognizable the form of edibles—brownies, gummy bears, jellybeans—the higher the chance that someone could accidentally eat it and become accidentally high (which is, let’s face it, the worst kind of high). This is an especially relevant issue for kids who might come across a stash of laced gummy bears and put themselves in danger. In order to combat that problem, Colorado has chosen to ban any edible marijuana product shaped like animals, people, or fruit.
"Beginning Oct. 1, edible marijuana-infused products in the shape of a human, animal or fruit are strictly prohibited, including shapes that resemble or contain characteristics of a realistic or fictional human, animal, or fruit, including artistic, caricature, or cartoon renderings," the Colorado Department of Revenue announced via the Estes Park Trail-Gazette last week.
This isn’t the first regulation aimed at cannabis companies that would help reduce the risk of accidental ingestion of THC. In 2015, Colorado passed a law requiring any marijuana product to carry a special warning on the packaging: a diamond shape with "THC!" written alongside it. The previous year, Colorado passed another law requiring all edible products to be broken up into pieces of no more than 10 milligrams of THC, with only 100 milligrams allowed per package. This was also an attempt to reduce the risk of children getting into what simply doesn’t belong to them.
"This is an important step in maximizing the State’s public health and safety by keeping marijuana out of the hands of minors and raising consumer awareness," Mike Hartman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Revenue, told the Trail-Gazette.
