Wayland Police Confiscate Marijuana Candy from WHS Student
Police confiscated four Cheeba Chews from a 17-year-old on Dec. 10.
A routine traffic stop on Dec. 10 led Wayland Police Officer Tyler Castagno to confiscate four, quad-dose Cheeba Chew candies from a 17-year-old male Wayland High School student.
Cheeba Chews contain THC, the high-producing chemical in marijuana.
According to Det. Sgt. Jamie Berger, Castagno discovered other drug paraphernalia in the vehicle during the stop. While Castagno had never seen the candies before, Berger said he "thought he had something" and brought them back to the station.
A subsequent investigation revealed that the candies, each equivalent to one joint, had likely come to Wayland with a student from Colorado where they are legal under that state's medical marijuana laws.
In Massachusetts, the candies themselves are not legal, but they do fall under the Commonwealth's marijuana decriminalization policy, meaning a civil citation and a fee of $100 can be issued for possession of under 1 ounce of marijuana. Wayland Youth Officer Shane Bowles explained that, because the boy found with the Cheeba Chews is under 18 there are additional stipulations such as a mandatory program and a potential fine for his parents should the program not be completed on time.
Heidi Heilman serves as the director of WaylandCares, a "community coalition dedicated to reducing youth substance use and abuse in Wayland." Heilman said these Cheeba Chews are a prime example of why medical marijuana is so dangerous.
"This is a big deal for Massachusetts," Heilman said. "And demonstrative of what's coming down the pipeline [should medical marijuana be legalized]. This is why we don't want pot dispensaries in Massachusetts."
Bowles said he understands that the marijuana is put in chews in order to provide cancer patients a way to use the medicinal marijuana without smoking it. His fear in Wayland, however, is that "it looks just like a Tootsie Roll" and could easily be mistaken as such by a baby or young child.
Berger said this is the first time Cheeba Chews have been found in Wayland, though other departments have dealt with similar situations, Berger said.
"We use this as an opportunity with WaylandCares and the youth officer to get into the schools and talking to parents," Berger said. "[Parents need to see] that marijuana is not just smoking a joint or from a bowl."
Bowles said the decriminalization of marijuana has led to students and parents becoming desensitized to the fact that marijuana is still a drug.
"I wish it were still a criminal act," Bowles said. "To kids, it's just a citation, what's the big deal? It's definitely a lot bigger issue when it doesn't get taken as seriously."
Berger said he believed marijuana use to be "prevalent" in Wayland, and he blamed that on parents and kids having the opinion that "it's not a big deal because it's decriminalized."
Bowles said he sees these candies as a "novelty" and doesn't anticipate it will take the place of traditional forms of marijuana, but he did say that it's important for parents to be aware.
Rebecca Brett Johnston
4:04 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012
Lol omg the only way marijuana does harm to the body, smoke inhalation, has been removed by eating it. These candies are so dangerous! Haha god, why are these morons responsible for keeping us safe again?
Paul Hurteau
10:34 am on Saturday, January 28, 2012
"This is a big deal for Massachusetts," Heilman said. "And demonstrative of what's coming down the pipeline [should medical marijuana be legalized]. This is why we don't want pot dispensaries in Massachusetts."
And hows that anti underage drinking and cigarette campaign going??
I see a LOT of teens under the age of 18 with cigarettes walking down the street. it's illegal for them to buy them, but ok to possess them??
Parents go to jail for giving booze to kids but it's ok with cigarettes??
Just where ARE you're priority's??
Cheeba Chews
12:35 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
While in no way do we think these kids should have had Cheeba Chews, we want to clear up a few things.
There is not one documented sale to a minor from a dispensary in Colorado, not one. But there are thousands of documented alcohol sales to minors. Marijuana killed zero people last year. Alcohol killed approximately 2.5 million worldwide last year.
Cheeba Chews are not Candy. Comparing Cheeba Chews to Tootsie rolls is like comparing Nyquil to Kool-Aid. No one, not even a 3yrold can be tricked into drinking Nyquil if you tell them its Kool-Aid. Lots of medicine comes in edible forms- Laxatives in chocolates, Cough drops/syrups, Tums/antacids, Fentanyl suckers that are 100 times more potent than morphine. Please inform yourself before jumping to conclusions.
Patients use edibles to get away from putting smoke in their lungs. We use taffy because we can make the smallest edible possible, while it is easily torn apart into smaller doses if necessary and the rest rewrapped for later use. If you ever tasted one you would know it doesn’t taste like “candy.” It’s medicine that, sadly, some people have been brainwashed to be against.
JAMES HOWLER,
Owner of Cheeba Chews
Colorado
Christopher Frank
2:56 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
+1
John Perkins
3:57 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
To The Patch & Brooklyn Lowery: This article was not written in a fair and balanced manner. For instance, not anywhere does it show you tried to contact Cheeba Chews owner, James Howler, to get a fair response to Heilman's or Mr. Bowles unfounded statements. You also allow comments such as "This is why we don't want pot dispensaries in Massachusetts." without fairly balancing that with a statement from Rep. Frank I. Smizik who introduced HB 625 and SB 1161 so that people with medical issues have safe affordable access to MJ. I personally have used MJ and Hash for 3 years and have successfully resolved the pain associated with my Severe Psoriatic Arthritis where Big Pharma meds could not. I can now run where I could not walk.
There will be teens that will get access to drugs just as they do with alcohol (talk about prevalent). We have regulations and laws in place and that is what they are for and will be used as they were in this case. btw: Teens had access to MJ and Hash long before Cheeba Chews came around. Ever heard of "Pot Brownies"?
Alcohol kills 100,000 per year in the U.S. Marijuana has "0" deaths. I say legalize MJ use and put the taxes towards regulation and education. These educational resources would be for alcohol and any drug use. Not to use those stupid government scare tactics though because they don't work. Just logical and real information.
Sexy Genius
11:21 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
This isn't esoteric knowledge. People are just plain stupid and the editor of this blog just makes it worse. She claims to be a journalist and I guess this is balanced reportage in her opinion.
Sexy Genius
11:16 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
The editor of wayland patch is a plain dumb moron of the highest order.
Slim Shady
12:56 pm on Thursday, February 23, 2012
I thought by living in Wayland, I was part of an open-minded community that was on the cutting edge of social responsibility and education. I can see after reading this article that is certainly not the case any more. I'm not going to repeat what's been said above me, but the facts are there and easily accessible. Millions of deaths to alcohol and tobacco, zero for pot. Legalize it, make the age to buy 21 (or even 25), tax it, regulate it and watch how much better off this country gets. I graduated from WHS 5 years ago, and believe me when I say it was always, always, always easier to get pot that alcohol or tobacco. I also want to shout out to James Howler who put in the time to post a well-written response on behalf of Cheeba Chews. Your company has obviously helped a lot of people, we've got your back out here in MA.