Importance of checking Halloween candy before your kids indulge

Last week, a Pennsylvania police department sent out a warning to parents, urging them to double check their kid's Halloween candy after THC-laced Nerds Ropes were confiscated from a home.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — Last week, a Pennsylvania police department sent out a warning to parents, urging them to double check their kid’s Halloween candy after THC-laced Nerds Ropes were confiscated from a home.

“We’ve had cases around the country of people putting drug-laced candy in children’s bags, as well as objects such as razor blades or syringes,” said Richland Co. Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jason Cuzzupe.

While checking over Halloween candy is not a new concept, it’s important for parents to remember the simple act that only takes a few minutes.

“A simple five minute check could potentially stop some bad situations from coming up,” said Cuzzupe.

It’s not just keeping an eye out for possible drug-laced candy, but also making sure someone didn’t tamper with the treats.

“So something like this, we would tell parents to go ahead and throw out just because you never know what could potentially have gotten on the candy, or what  could be hiding behind the candy,” said Cuzzupe. “The importance of checking candy, you come to something like this and it looks fine. Then you break it open and you find it’s been contaminated.”

There are events where families can trick-or-treat worry-free, like the Sheriff Department’s ‘Trunk or Treat with the Beat.’ That event runs from 6:00 p.m. until  8:00 p.m. on 2500 Decker Blvd.

“We want the kids to do it safely, and we also want the parents to be vigilant of what their kids are doing, where they’re going, and also what they’re receiving in their baskets,” said Cuzzupe. 

So just make sure before your kids dive into their candy stash, you take a look at their treats.

“You never know who could be out there, and who could potentially do harm. We just want everybody to be safe and we don’t want this to scare people from trick or treating,” said Cuzzupe.

If you do find candy that has been tampered with, make sure you contact your local authorities. You’ll also want to throw away all the candy just to be safe.

Click here for Halloween food safety tips from the FDA.