Colorado may ban ‘candy’ name on marijuana treats, add red stop signs to packages

DENVER – Edible marijuana products in Colorado may soon come labeled with a red stop sign, according to a draft of new rules released Wednesday by state marijuana regulators.

The state, one of the first to legalize recreational marijuana, might also ban the word “candy” from edible pot products, even if they’re sweets such as suckers or gummy chews.

The new pot symbol — an octagon stop-sign shape with the letters “THC” to indicate marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient — would have to be on individual edible items, not just labels. Liquid marijuana products would be limited to single-serve packaging — defined as 10 milligrams of THC.

The proposed rules were released as the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division works on new guidelines for edible marijuana, which can be baked into cookies or brownies or added to a dizzying array of items from sodas, to pasta sauces, to granolas.

The state already bans pot manufacturers from using cartoon characters on packaging or making “look-alike” products such as candies designed to mimic common foods.

Marijuana regulators in Colorado have until January to implement a 2014 law requiring edible marijuana to have a distinct look when outside its packaging.

The manufacturers complained that the law — which requires edible to be “stamped, shaped, colored or otherwise marked” that it is not for consumption by children — would be unwieldy when it comes to liquid products or anything besides hard candies or cookies.

In response, the state Health Department last year suggested banning all edible marijuana except for lozenges or other items that could be easily stamped. The proposal was quickly withdrawn after the industry and consumers complained.