My Magazine: You’re More Likely to Catch Ebola Than Receive Pot-Laced Halloween Candy

Wednesday 26 October 2016

You’re More Likely to Catch Ebola Than Receive Pot-Laced Halloween Candy

As Halloween approaches, the scary naysayers are out in force trying to ruin your kids’ trick-or-treating, the very best part of this favorite holiday.

The annual, hysterical warnings to watch out for pot-laced Halloween treats, which “looks just like any other candy,” are making some nervous—like razorblades in apples did with our parents back in the day.

But maybe it’s not quite the same.

The fear of devious druggies handing out pot-laced candy to our trick-or-treating children has been debunked over and over.

In Florida, where it looks like Amendment 2 to legalize medical marijuana will pass, anti-pot groups are throwing down the gauntlet, with the help of one very frightening billionaire, Sheldon Adelson, who recently gave another $1 million to the anti-pot advocates there.

Adding to the mix, on Monday, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings decided to capitalize on this year’s Halloween candy scare.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that at a news conference, hosted by “Don’t Let Florida Go to Pot,” Demings warn citizens that if Florida passes Amendment 2, potheads will more than likely start handing out weed candy to kids.

And he said this in front of a bunch of young children in their Halloween costumes. What a way to ruin their fun.

Supporters of Amendment 2 called Demings comments scare tactics, and not the fun Halloween kind.

Nothing like this has ever happened in Florida. When reporters pressed Demings to give examples of other states experiencing pot-laced Halloween candy, Demings was unable to name a single one.

“What Sheriff Demings is saying is completely unrealistic,” said Ben Pollara, director of United For Care, a pro-MMJ group that helped get the issue on the ballot. “It’s not grounded in fact or experience in the 25 other states and in [Washington] D.C. that already have medical marijuana.”

Of course not, because it’s totally false.

Dishonest anti-legalization advocates are pushing a huge lie, at the expense of not just our trick-or-treaters, but the millions of Americans who need medical marijuana for a variety of illnesses.

The Orlando Weekly published a fairly basic chart from the Washington Post’s Wonkblog, showing that you’re actually more likely to get Ebola this Halloween than to receive pot-laced candy. But, let’s not tell the kids that.

imrs