Health Canada has issued a public advisory reminding parents, guardians, and people who use edible cannabis products about the "risk of serious harm" if children ingest "copycat" products.
Copycat products are products branded to look similar to common products in the marketplace, both in how the products looks and the packaging.
"The implicated products are illegal cannabis edibles that can cause serious harm when consumed, especially by children or pets," states Health Canada in the alert. "Any products with flashy packaging, pictures, catchy names, strange THC symbols, or that mimic popular name brands are illegal and unregulated, should not be consumed, and should be reported to your local law enforcement."
Products include imitations of everything from Gushers to Sour Patch Kids to Skittles. In some cases, puns are made out of the mainstream product's name, like "Stoneo" cookies (instead of Oreos) while others, like Cheetos and Airheads, use the same branding as the mainstream brand, but make references to the fact they have THC in them through warnings or other words (like "medicated").
"Hospitals have seen an increase in visits to the emergency room and poison centres have seen an increase in calls," states Health Canada.
They note that the items are often sold illegally, but have been found at grocery stores or gas stations.
The federal agency adds that legal cannabis products are legally required to be packaged in plain packaging so they aren't appealing to kids.
"Examples of copycat illegal edible cannabis can include cereal and snack foods such as chips, cheese puffs, cookies, chocolate bars, and a variety of popular candies in colorful packaging," warns Health Canada. "These products can contain high amounts of THC, which increases the risk of experiencing adverse effects or poisoning."
Brands that are being copied are taking legal action in some cases. In the case of Stoney Patch, which parodies Sour Patch Kids, the company behind Sour Patch Kids began a trademark lawsuit. And while not an edibles brand, Subway took a Vancouver store called Budway to court and won.
"Health Canada refers all known cases of illegal edible products to law enforcement for follow-up and works closely with Public Safety Canada, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to disrupt the illegal cannabis market and to protect Canadians from unregulated, illegal cannabis," states the federal agency.
