It happened on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin on Sunday. The kids were out in full costume during the designated time-window for trick-or-treating and were going door to door. However, one child came home with something no one bargained for. As reported by Fox 11, when the parents checked out the child’s haul of Halloween candy, they found a small baggie containing a crystalline substance.
Fearing the worst, they handed the baggie over to police, who confirmed it tested positive for crystal meth.
Police warn public to check their children's Halloween candy
As reported by WBAY, it was lucky the child in question hadn’t dipped into his treats before he got home, as things could have been much worse. However, the Menominee Tribal Police Department headed to their Facebook page on Monday to warn the community to carefully check their kids’ Halloween candy. They were told to instantly contact police if they found anything that looked suspicious in their children’s haul of treats.
Following the incident, the Keshena Primary School barred students from bringing any candy to events held at the school to celebrate Halloween.
The school posted on Facebook on Monday afternoon to advise parents that students would not be allowed to either bring the candy or other treats to the school or to distribute them among themselves.
Parents encouraged to ditch Halloween candy
Police went on to encourage parents to rather throw away the Halloween candy, just to be on the safe side, even if no meth is found in the bag. Sites have been set up for parents to dispose of the candy. However, police did tell Fox 11 that it is unlikely to be a widespread problem. Tribal police detective Josh Lawe says they aren’t sure, but it does look like this was an isolated incident as they have received no further reports. Fox 11 quotes tribal police as saying meth use has been increasing recently on the reservation.
However, so as not to totally ruin the kids’ Halloween, NBC 26 reports in the video below that a second trick-or-treat event was held for the children.
Warnings over drugs in Halloween candy
Fear of drugs being found in Halloween candy isn't new, however, with the attorney general in New Jersey warning parents to check their children's candy to ensure it hasn’t been laced with marijuana.
At the time, advocates for marijuana accused the attorney general’s office of employing a “scare tactic,” making something from nothing. Evan Nison of NORML, a group involved in promoting the legalization of marijuana, told Associated Press that consumers of the drug are not seeking to dose children, adding he has never heard of anyone interested in doing such a thing.