Packages discovered at downtown Los Angeles stores featured a range of candy creations, each advertised with a hint of THC.
The problem? The plastic containers bore a fake California marijuana seal, giving potential buyers the false impression that the products inside had been vetted by the state, authorities said.
In total, the state’s Unified Cannabis Task Force seized more than 2.2 million illegal packages during a sting operation targeting 11 Toy District businesses on July 17, state officials said.
“California is committed to supporting our safe and legal cannabis market. We will not tolerate criminal activity that undermines the legal market, especially when it puts children at risk,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “This successful operation in the Toy District reinforces our commitment and sends a clear warning to criminals who choose to operate outside of the safer legal sector.”
The operation primarily targeted stores that manufacture and sell bulk packaging for the black market in cannabis, authorities said.
The seized packages were empty but designed to mimic popular foods and candies, including Sweet Tarts sour candies and Twinkies decorated with rainbow sprinkles, which authorities said could make them appealing to children. Such packages would not be allowed in the legal marijuana market.
“One of the really important aspects of this operation is that it specifically targets packaging that throws away all the contents [state] “The standards are being thrown out the window and, in turn, they threaten consumers and, frankly, they attract young people,” said Nicole Elliott, director of the state Department of Cannabis Control.
The seized packaging is worth nearly $500,000, said Tamma Adamek, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Revenue and Taxation.
In addition to the contraband packages, the task force also seized 31 bank boxes and trash bags filled with cannabis and 32 boxes and bags of unregulated cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Under state law, cannabis products must be labeled to ensure consumers know what they are buying and to prevent misuse of the products. Sellers are required to have child-resistant, resealable and opaque packaging if the product is an edible. Approved products feature a marijuana leaf symbol and an exclamation point inside a triangle.
But the illegal weed market is aware of this, and some are illegally using packaging with the label to sell black market products, said Nick Maduros, director of the California Department of Revenue and Tax Administration.
“There are a lot of counterfeit products in the state, which makes it even more difficult for consumers to know what they are buying and whether what they are buying was produced legally, is sold legally and has been tested,” Maduros said.
The proliferation of such products also negatively affects licensed businesses that pay taxes and comply with state regulations, he added.
To legally sell packaging bearing the California Seal, businesses must be licensed by the Department of Cannabis Control or have invoices from a cannabis business licensed by the Department.
The sting operation is the first conducted by the Cannabis Packaging Task Force. The passage of Assembly Bill 1126, which went into effect this year, allows the state to seize such materials.
“I think this is just the beginning of what we need to do to combat this problem,” Maduros said.
