Tales of (Un)Poisoned Halloween Candy

It's Halloween time and stories are starting to emerge (again...groan) about drugs being given out in Halloween candy or candy being poisoned and handed out to the kiddos.

Headlines like this...

https://www.littlethings.com/halloween-candy-drugs-beware/

Or...

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/national/police-warn-of-drug-that-resembles-halloween-candy

 

Or...

http://wreg.com/2015/10/07/parents-concerned-ecstasy-could-be-disguised-as-halloween-candy/

Let me just stop you right there and right now.

Folks are not giving out drugs in Halloween candy. They are not.

Drugs are expensive. No one is giving away that stuff. No one.

It's true that drugs can be made to look like candy. Especially marijuana/THC infused edibles. They can look like this...

https://patch.com/florida/southtampa/parents-beware-those-gummy-bears-your-child-s-halloween-bag-could-be-edible

 

Cute and tasty looking gummy bears! Though each of those bears contains 10 mg of THC, the main psychoactive substance found in cannabis/marijuana. Let me be quite clear again...no one is giving these out for free. Edibles are damned expensive. And hard to come by in certain locales. No one is giving them out to random children for free.

And of course, Ecstasy tablets look like candy...

http://www.ravejungle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ecstasy-tablets-ravejungle.jpg

But Ecstasy is expensive. Drug dealers are not just going to give up tablets for free. It makes no sense to think this does happen.

These headlines pop up every year just before Halloween, but did you know that there has never been a single documented case where someone was randomly handing out drugs in Halloween candy or poisoned-laced loot.

None. Zero. Nil. Nada. Zilch.

It's an urban legend. A myth.

Now, let's not confuse this with homicide/murder during Halloween times and then blaming it on the "candy was poisoned" myth. 
In 1970, a 5 year old child in Michigan ate some Halloween candy and died a few days later. Toxicology showed the death was from a heroin overdose. The Halloween candy was analyzed by the lab and heroin was found. The police investigation concluded that the child found a family member's drug stash and consumed some of it. To cover up the death and the family member's involvement, family concocted a scheme to contaminate the Halloween candy with heroin after the boy's death.

In 1974, a Texas father gave potassium cyanide laced Pixie Stix to his son and daughter and three other children. The son ate the candy, while none of the other children did. The boy died. During the police investigation it was determined that the boy had a life insurance policy on him worth a very large amount of money. The father used the poisoned Halloween candy myth (the legend was around back then too) as cover for his plot to kill the boy and collect the life insurance. The father was convicted of murder in 1975 and was executed via lethal injection in 1984.

There have been countless other drugs in Halloween candy scares across the USA since the 1970s and upon investigation, each one has proven to be untrue.

So, please, go ahead and eat your Halloween candy loot this year without drug worries.

Happy Halloween!


References

Candy suspected in death of boy, 5 - 1970
http://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/07/archives/candy-suspected-in-death-of-boy-5.html

Candy Man's legacy still haunting today - 2003
http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Candy-Man-s-legacy-still-haunting-today-9774087.php


 

Girl on LSD

It is being reported that Tom Petty is in critical condition on life support after being found in cardiac arrest. Some outlets have reported he has passed. I have grown up listening to Petty's music - through high school and college and into adulthood. His music has been a huge part of my music listening life. So many good songs. So many good associations.

His most beautiful song? Wildflowers.

Best song to drive to? You Wreck Me and Runnin' Down A Dream. Preferably played back to back.

One of the first songs I knew all the words to? Free Fallin

Biggest song memory in junior high/high school? You Don't Know How It Feels

Song that makes me think about life? Learning to Fly

Coolest music video? Don't Come Around Here No More - I'm a sucker for Alice in Wonderland themes.

Song I can't help but sing no matter where I am? Mary Jane's Last Dance, always thought it was neat that it mentioned Indiana, then found out later it was originally titled Indiana Girl and thought that was even more awesome.


But the song I'll never forget is the one song that never made it to an album because it was deemed too controversial at the time by record execs, but was the B side on the 1994 single release of You Don't Know How It Feels...

Girl on LSD.

Such a great song from a drug and toxicology perspective.

Marijuana.
Cocaine.
Beer.
Crystal meth.
Glue.
Ecstasy.
Pills.
China White (aka heroin).
Caffeine.

Give it a listen. And while you're at it, smile and throw some good thoughts out there. The world needs some positivity these days.

Peace.

Update: Tom Petty has passed on. The Rock Band In The Sky added one more member.