Synthetic THC products disguised as snacks putting children at risk: Chicago health officials

CHICAGO - Health officials and doctors say highly dosed THC products are being consumed by children, having an impact on their health.

They look like popular snacks with names like "Trips Ahoy" and "Zkittles," but they are actually synthetic THC products, more potent than regulated cannabis and easier to get. 

One piece is intoxicating. A whole bag can make a child very sick. 

Dr. Maria Rahmandar, Medical Director of the Substance Use and Prevention Program at Lurie Children’s Hospital says children have come to the emergency room, experiencing paranoia, hallucinations and vomiting. Many times, the children don’t know what they’ve taken.

The University of Illinois College of Pharmacy tested the products and found some are much stronger than legal edibles. According to the UIC study, 93 percent of tested edible products had inaccurate THC dosages on the packaging labels, with inaccuracies ranging from 61 percent less THC to 456 percent more. One edible contained 70 times the legal dosage of THC under Illinois cannabis law.

Synthetic THC products, known as cannabinoids, first started showing up in the Cook County jail, where detainees were getting sick.

Now, they’re marketed to school-aged children.

"All of this is happening in a shady industry operating outside the regulatory environment and people are getting sick," said Chicago Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) 

Hopkins proposed several ordinances to ban the products, or at least have them fall under regulations.

Law enforcement says the difficult part is when it comes to illicit drugs, the product keeps changing.