Notice that an employee seems to have recently started eating candy bars? You might want to take a closer look at the wrapper.
The Hershey Co. has sued a Colorado edible marijuana company for selling sweets containing pot because some of the packaging bears a resemblance to some of Hershey’s signature candies.
Some comparison between Hershey and Tincture Belle products:
- Hersheys/Hashees
- Almond Joy/Ganja Joy
- Peppermint Patty/Dabby Patty
- Reese’s/Reefer’s
- Heath/Hasheath, and
- Mr. Goodbar/Mr. Dankbar.
Hershey also argues the similar names and packaging pose a safety risk to consumers, particularly children “who may not distinguish between Hershey’s candy products and defendants’ cannabis-based products.”
Some injury cases already reported, connected with pot-infused sweets:
- In April, a teenager in Denver plunged off a balcony after eating six times the recommended amount of a marijuana brownie.
- A man was accused of killing his wife in a hallucinatory episode after eating marijuana candy and rolling a joint.
- New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called for greater regulation of the pot-candy industry after her own encounter with a caramel-chocolate candy bar.
Hershey’s hasn’t mentioned a specific dollar amount in its lawsuit, but it says “significant damages” are in order.
In a statement, Tincture Belle owner Char Mayes said the lawsuit came as a “huge” surprise.
“We changed our entire label line approximately six months ago, long before these allegations surfaced,” Mayes said. “Our new packaging looks nothing like Hershey’s or anyone else’s.”
Tincture Belle says it hopes to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
There are 22 states that allow some use of medical marijuana. Only Colorado and Washington have laws allowing small amounts of recreational pot to be purchased.
