Drugs Marketed As Children's Candy; Packaging Seized In LA Sting: Authorities

LOS ANGELES — Authorities recently seized over 2.2 million illegal cannabis packages in Los Angeles that were marked with the state’s universal symbol for legal cannabis, many of which were designed to mimic popular food and candy that could appeal to children, Gov. Gavin Newson announced Tuesday.

“California is committed to supporting our safe and legal cannabis market,” Newsom said in a news release. “We will not tolerate criminal activity that undermines the legal market, especially when it puts children at risk.”

The sting operation focused on 11 storefronts in the city's Toy District, where businesses were making and selling packaging used to deceive customers, according to authorities.

“Illegal packaging is dangerous to consumers, especially when it is ripping-off well-known brands that are attractive to children, and needs to be removed from the marketplace,” Department of Cannabis Control Director Nicole Elliott said in the news release.

The governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce separately seized 31 banker boxes and garbage bags of illicit cannabis as well as 32 boxes and bags of illicit cigarettes and other tobacco products, according to authorities.

“This packaging provides a thin yet frightening veil of legitimacy for illicit operators,” Nick Maduros, director of the state’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration, said in the news release. “It violates the trust of California consumers who believe that the cannabis symbol signifies a certain product standard, and it enables illegal operators to circumvent tax and licensing requirements.”