The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
POLICE RAID
Canastota cops make arrests after two businesses suspected of illegal sale of cannabis
CANASTOTA, N.Y. >> The Canastota Police Department has announced the arrests of several individuals after a months-long investigation into the alleged illegal sale of cannabis in the Village of Canastota.
On Wednesday, March 20 members of the Canastota Police Department, City of Oneida Police Department, Madison County Department of Health, and Village of Canastota Codes Enforcement Office executed search warrants at two businesses in the village of Canastota. Those businesses are the In N Out Deli on N. Main Street and S&P Convenience, also known as Ivy Smoke Line, on S. Peterboro Street.
Upon entering the premises the officers found large quantities of marijuana, flavored electronic cigarettes, or vape, liquid, and concentrated cannabis. Officers also found suspected THC candies and psychoactive-infused chocolate edibles that were packaged to look like brand-name candy bars.
Officers removed several hundred packages of suspected illegal marijuana products, a large sum of cash, and drug-related sales paraphernalia such as scales and packaging materials.
Authorities have charged five individuals with the following offenses:
• criminal sale of cannabis. • criminal possession of cannabis. • criminal possession of a controlled substance.
All charges are misdemeanors. The businesses were also cited for numerous code violations.
“We encourage small business in this community, but the sale of illegal substances to our youth will not be tolerated,” Canastota Police Chief Sean Barton said. “We will continue to put pressure on places like this who want to illegally sell drugs in our community and to our children, and let them know that Canastota is not the place for this sort of business”
The names of the individuals charged are not being released at this time due to the continuing police investigation. Additional charges may be filed at a later date.
“We are grateful to Chief Barton and all of the officers who assisted with this investigation,” Village of Canastota Mayor Rosanne Warner said. “We thank the police for their diligent work to keep our community safe and illegal drugs out of the hands of our youth.”
In 2023, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood and Madison County Public Health Director Eric Faisst addressed the threat marijuana edibles like the ones seized in Canastota pose to children and young adults.
“We had an overdose in a local school recently where five kids had to be sent to the hospital after consuming gummy bears that contained marijuana,” Hood said at the time. “It has led to an ongoing investigation.”
Children eating marijuana edibles has become a national trend that has left parents, pediatricians, and law enforcement officials concerned.
“A package of cannabis edible gummies contains multiple doses. A child would not recognize the need to stop after one piece,” Faisst said.
The website goodrx.com said that incidences of children under six years old eating CBD gummies have risen over 1,375 percent between 2017 and 2021. And, the medical journal “Pediatrics” published a study that said over 90 percent of overdoses involving children happened at home.
“The problem is they market marijuana in gummy bears, cookies, candy bars,” Hood said. “Parents bring them home and kids mistake them as treats. You get a product that appeals to kids, cookies and candy bars in bright shiny packages but they’re infused with marijuana. We knew this would happen. Once you make marijuana use normal the more it comes into homes.”
Sleepiness is the most common symptom of cannabis edible ingestion in a child. Other symptoms include:
• agitation.
• confusion or other changes in mental state.
• higher heart rate.
• difficulty breathing.
• problems with coordination and balance.
— red eyes. According to goodrx. com, in severe cases, children can also develop difficulty breathing, seizures, and neurological impairment.
“The kids get a hold of these gummies and get a dose for an adult,” Hood said. “Their child has a body weight much less than their parents. This leads to kids being in distress.”
Any parent who sees their child exhibiting these symptoms and who suspects their child has ingested edible marijuana should call 911 or get their child to an emergency room. They should remain calm, and try to get as much information as possible regarding the type of edible consumed, the amount consumed, and the type of THC it contains.
Those who suspect their child has eaten any marijuana edibles but are not exhibiting any symptoms should still call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. In either case, parents should give all the information they have about how much their child may have consumed.
Faisst said prevention strategies such as changing product packaging and labeling, regulating the maximum allowable dose in a package, and increasing public education on mitigation of household risks are key in reducing these exposures.
Faisst also said that because most of these exposures occur in the child’s home, educating caregivers and other adults in the home on how to safely store their cannabis products could significantly reduce exposure in young children.
“Ideally, these products should be stored in a location unknown to the children and kept in a locked container,” he said. “Using locations outside the kitchen, away from other food items, may help reduce the risk of a child viewing these products as normal food items.”
Faisst also said adults should be cautioned against using cannabis edibles in front of children because they may be likely to imitate the adult and attempt to ingest these products. Women should not use cannabis during pregnancy or breastfeeding. THC is lipid-soluble and concentrates in breast milk.
Primary care providers can help prevent exposures by incorporating screening questions about cannabis use in the home and counseling caregivers on these practices.
“I want to emphasize how important it is to keep these products out of the hands of children in order to avoid accidental exposure,” Faisst said. “We should be treating these edibles like we do alcoholic beverages and prescription medications and keep them out of the hands of toddlers and children who can accidentally ingest them.”
Post-event care includes keeping edibles out of the reach of children, not eating them in front of children, and warning children, and neighbors who partake, about the dangers marijuana edibles present to children.
“I think that any step that we add to ensure safety, they all work together. At the community level people just need education and reminders in many different forms that these products can be hazardous,” Faisst said.
Faisst warned about the ongoing effects of marijuana-infused treats.
“For youths, the risks include panic attacks, psychosis, and uncontrollable vomiting,” he said. “There are also potential longterm effects from cannabis consumption beginning at a young age, including impaired brain development and poor mental health.”
“Ideally, these products should be stored in a location unknown to the children and kept in a locked container.” — Madison County Public Health Director Eric Faisst