Debunking the "Needles" and "Razor Blades" in Halloween candy Myth

[jar_e]

To be fair, though it is rare, it does happen. There was a rather high profile case within Calgary in 2010 (albeit not Halloween).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...rian-1.1130566

A woman accused of food tampering at a Calgary Co-op has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Tatyana Granada was found guilty in February on four counts of trespassing and four counts of mischief for putting dozens of pins and needles in food at the Oakridge Co-op in 2010.

The court heard she did this as an act of revenge against the store after being arrested for trespassing.
Granada had been given a verbal life-time ban from the store after she had been caught shoplifting prior to the incidents. That ban was later extended to all Co-ops in Alberta.

Judge Gerald Meagher cited a number of aggravating factors in sentencing, including her having no remorse or acknowledgment of wrongdoing, and noted the planned, deliberate and vindictive nature of the acts, which escalated over time.

The judge said she used dangerous items and caused serious risk to public health and safety, with no indication her behaviour would stop — and her children were present each time the crimes were committed.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Minnie

My favorite this year has been the multiple postings about how the drug dealers are running around handing out drugs made to look like candies, to the little kiddies. Right. Because they just hand out product for free, no compensation, no profit. In the middle of a group of the biggest generation of helicopter parents ever, who'd be on said drug dealer like flies on pig ####, if that even had snowball's chance in hell of happening. Of course, the "argument/rebuttal" is that "you never know, it could happen" and "no one ever said that drug dealers are smart!" Well, yeah, that could happen and so could the Cubs winning the world series and clearly, the drug dealers are a great deal smarter than you.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by blueski

I just call it tax when I eat it because the sooner they learn about the big bad tax man the better.

[blankall]

The biggest issue with this myth is that you know where the person who gave you the tainted candy lives. Yes, you get a bag full of candy from different places. However, some kids only visit a few homes. It would not be hard to track who was giving out what.

You're far more likely to get tainted products from a supermarket. Someone can taint them and leave the store without anyone being the wiser. Or even swap out pre-tainted products in the store.

[blueski]

Originally Posted by blankall

The biggest issue with this myth is that you know where the person who gave you the tainted candy lives. Yes, you get a bag full of candy from different places. However, some kids only visit a few homes. It would not be hard to track who was giving out what.

You're far more likely to get tainted products from a supermarket. Someone can taint them and leave the store without anyone being the wiser. Or even swap out pre-tainted products in the store.

Another good reason to grow your drugs.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by blankall

The biggest issue with this myth is that you know where the person who gave you the tainted candy lives. Yes, you get a bag full of candy from different places. However, some kids only visit a few homes. It would not be hard to track who was giving out what.

You're far more likely to get tainted products from a supermarket. Someone can taint them and leave the store without anyone being the wiser. Or even swap out pre-tainted products in the store.

You seem a little too informed....

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Locke

I find it hilarious that whomever made this meme used a pic of a multivitamin and some homeopathic pills.

[David Struch]

when they broke the gelatin-based candy open, a white powder fell out and they saw what appeared to be a pill inside

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/news...f2fd4fb2f.html

[evman150]

One of these stupid stories on the news here in Victoria tonight too.

Of course the mother had the wherewithal to have her phone out to capture her unwrapping the needle-containing chocolate bar (it looked more like a nail to me). I wonder how she could have known?

I also can't stand how the media reports this stuff. So frustratingly gullible.

The one in the OP is hilarious though. That looks nothing like an Aero bar.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by evman150

One of these stupid stories on the news here in Victoria tonight too.

Of course the mother had the wherewithal to have her phone out to capture her unwrapping the needle-containing chocolate bar (it looked more like a nail to me). I wonder how she could have known?

I also can't stand how the media reports this stuff. So frustratingly gullible.

The one in the OP is hilarious though. That looks nothing like an Aero bar.

That was posted here from Kamloops, no?

[Sluggo]

As a small aside, I once nearly choked on the metal wire they would keep the bag of chicken wings sealed before cooking. Tried to swallow it thinking it was a overcooked piece of skin and it wouldn't go down so spit it out. I got so many free pizza's and wings from that incident. My room mate in turn finished off the almost untouched pound of wings without issue.

Now kid's being the picky #######s they are would probably find any metal before swallowing it and even if they did the odds would be quite low that it would cause issues. People eat glass and other metal garbage with little adverse health affects likely due to our ancestors evolving to eat undesirable stuff like bone shards, rocks, twigs or spiders to combat hunger.

[Wormius]

As was stated earlier, and I have witnessed myself, the mini Aero bars do like the one in the OP's pic. They have changed in the last couple of years.

Still, anybody trying to do this would have to be stupid on a lot of different levels, in addition to the likeliness of being caught.

[Poe969]

My wife took our 2 year old son out for his first time this year and when he came home I "inspected the candy". After all these stories of drugs making it into children's candy I was sadly disappointed to not only find no drugs whatsoever but that a lot of people are giving away those small bags of chips (I used to find those a rip off because my parents bought chips and we could have them but we hardly ever got chocolate and that's what kids really want). I had a couple coffee crisp (or is it coffee crisps) and a few beer then remembered I'm old enough to buy my own drugs and candy.

[polak]

"Why would I give my money to a homeless man so he can go buy drugs? I need that money so I can go buy drugs"