Nobody is Sneaking Drugs into Trick-or-Treat Candy

Every year, I check my kids’ candy for potential razor blades hidden in Reece’s Cups and THC-laced Jolly Ranchers, but REALLY I have no idea what I am looking for, besides an excuse to collect my candy tax in the form of Snickers and tiny Vanilla Tootsie Rolls.

I have every right to be concerned— our neighborhood is filled with sketchballs.

There’s this one guy who trims his bushes with a machete while doing karate moves.

My next door neighbor has a garden in her front yard, which basically means she is a sociopath.

There’s a lady who is so eerily calm that I’ve never even heard her yell at her kids.

It’s a real freak show, ya’ll. BUT, even so, I don’t think any of these suburban monsters are planning on drugging my toddlers or slicing my tween’s tongue.

This led me to wonder if this kind of Halloween horror actually happens , or if it’s more of an urban legend. So, I dove into the internet research, which pretty much is the same as a scientific journal— so don’t question it.

Hidden Cyanide:
There have been almost no verified reports of this in the past 60 years.
In 1982, six people died in Chicago due to cyanide-tainted Tylenol tablets. This was weeks before Halloween, which caused widespread panic around the idea that they could also be poisoning candy in the stores. About 40 cities canceled Halloween altogether that year.
Although there was a spike in reports of Halloween injuries and contamination, most were a hoax or ruled to be unrelated by the authorities.
THC-Laced Treats:
There have been no confirmed cases of strangers handing out THC candy to trick-or-treaters.
Just this year, after a candy-coated drug bust, a Pennsylvania Police Department made a Facebook post warning citizens that “drug laced edibles are packaged like regular candy and may be hard to distinguish from real candy.” The post, which went on to urge parents to check their kids’ Halloween candy for THC, went viral and had parents terrified. BUT, the drug-laced candy was never suspected of being for kids, and there has been no real evidence of this happening— like, ever.
I have never had THC candy, but I hear it’s hella expensive. I don’t think people are wanting to just give it away for free, especially to children.
Razor Blades and Pins in Candy:
There have been about 80 cases on sharp objects hidden in Halloween treats between 1959-2018.
This is the cautionary tale that has actually happened the most, but the majority of the time no real harm comes from it.
Of the 80 cases reported, only 10 resulted in injury, and those were minor. The worst case reported was a woman who required a few stitches.
Almost every time, the person responsible for the injury was a friend or family member attempting a prank.
One incident that did not fall into this pattern was in 2000 when a 49-year-old man was charged with adulterating a substance with intent to cause death, harm, or injury after it was determined that he put needles in Snicker’s Bars. A 14-year-old boy was pricked, but did not require medical attention.

There are, however, real safety concerns..

Kids are twice as likely to get hit by a car on Halloween night.
- Talk to your kids about road rules and your expectations.
- Give your children glow sticks, reflectors, flashlights, or anything to make them more visible.
- Consider early trick-or-treating, or even a community trunk-or-treat event.
Broken bones and nasty falls are more common on Halloween.
- Remind your kids that there is no rush or need to run from house to house.
- Be careful that costumes are not dragging on the ground.
- Talk to you child about how their hat, mask or face piece might impair their vision, and that they can take it off at any point.
The biggest concern for babies and toddlers on Halloween is choking on candy.
- Kids under 2 should not have marshmallows, hard candy, nuts, gum, or anything too gooey. Read more about safe candy options here.
- Be careful of non-edible treats like small toys. Anything less than 1 3/4 inches should not be given to a toddler. A general rule of thumb is that if it fits through the cardboard part of a toilet paper roll, a baby can choke on it.
Your child may become possessed by an angry ghost.
- I’m kidding, of course.