York drug agents seize over five pounds of THC-laced snacks from Fort Mill apartment
When York County drug agents searched a Fort Mill apartment earlier this week, police reports show they found candy and fruit snacks.
But the snacks contained the chemical THC, the drug that is found in marijuana, police said. And in South Carolina, such snacks -- also called “edibles” -- are illegal, officials said.
Drug agents on Tuesday confiscated more than five pounds (2,635 grams), of the edibles from an apartment on Counselors Way in Fort Mill, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald. B.J. Kennedy, commander of the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, said their search turned up the edibles.
Kyle Daniel Ester, 33, has been charged with possession of THC with intent to distribute, first offense, according to arrest warrants and incident reports. The charge is a felony that carries up to five years in prison for a conviction under South Carolina law.
Ester was released from the York County jail after posting a $20,000 bond, according to Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office.
A rare local arrest
Pictures of evidence seized Tuesday by the drug unit, and provided to The Herald, show apple and candy edibles that contained THC.
County drug agents, made up of police officers from the York County Sheriff’s office and police from Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York, Clover, Tega Cay and Winthrop University, searched the home where the drugs were found, Kennedy said.
An incident report from the arrest showed police also sized more than $3,400 in cash, 1.5 grams of marijuana, marijuana seeds, and other items.
Kennedy did not give other details of the investigation.
Kennedy said the seizure of THC snacks is a rare locally. More often, police charge suspects with marijuana in the plant form, he said.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the substance that’s primarily responsible for the effects of marijuana on a person’s mental state, according to the National Institute of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
On the National Institute of Health Web site, the agency reports there have been reports of cases involving consumption of THC candy.
“There have been many reports of unintentional consumption of cannabis or its products by children, leading to illnesses severe enough to require emergency room treatment or admission to a hospital,” the agency states. “Among a group of people who became ill after accidental exposure to candies containing THC, the children generally had more severe symptoms than the adults and needed to stay in the hospital longer.”
Looks and packaged like candy
York County prosecutors said they could not comment on the pending case.
“These types of products are unregulated by the state of South Carolina and the federal government,” said Jennifer Colton, a drug prosecutor at the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in York County. “The concern is what’s in it and who could eat it.”
Some products are legal in several states that have received a lot of publicity such as Colorado and California, Colton said.
Generally the products are not approved by the federal government Food and Drug Administration, Colton said. Legally prescribed drugs and foodstuffs have lists of ingredients that adults can review, Colton said.
Drug products in candy could fall into the hands of children or any other vulnerable person who might reasonably believe the treat was the same as other candy, Colton said.
“It looks like candy, it is packaged like candy,” Colton said. “It is a concern that a child, or someone who could have an adverse reaction, would eat this.”
Marijuana and its products are also illegal under federal law, Colton said..
SC versus other states where it is legal
Other area police agencies have not seen recent candy THC cases, said Max Dorsey, Chester County Sheriff. Dorsey was a State Law Enforcement Division drug agent for two decades before becoming sheriff in 2019. However, the change in drug laws in other states that allow THC edibles and generally relax laws on marijuana and similar products could bring an increase in cases, Dorsey said.
“We have seen this coming in law enforcement in South Carolina,” Dorsey said. “These things are still dangerous because they can get in the hands of children who think it is candy.”
Possession of some marijuana or products is legal in 15 states, according to U.S. News and World Report. And there has been a push by some in South Carolina’s General Assembly to legalize marijuana for medical uses, The State newspaper reported in December. The S.C. Law Enforcement Division, called SLED, and other groups have publicly opposed legalization.
The Kansas City Star reported on Jan. 1 that THC edibles became legal in Missouri in 2021.
SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said the concern remains among South Carolina police officials that drug items that look like candy could be eaten by children.
“As more states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, products such as candy containing THC have become more prevalent and are illegally showing up here,” Crosby said. “These items can be very dangerous, particularly to children, and we strongly urge parents to be on the lookout for these items.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
