Wayland Police Confiscate Marijuana Candy from WHS Student

A routine traffic stop on Dec. 10 led 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.