As scary stories and old concerns resurface, how worried should you be while trick-or-treating?

With Halloween right around the corner, kids all around the country are getting ready to embark on their trick-or-treating adventures, usually an exciting activity. However, some parents are shocked to find harmful objects in their childrens’ candy, causing concerns that resurface every October. How concerned should you be?

Every year, there are a few cases across the United States of razor blades, needles, or drugs being found in Halloween candy. In 2018, a 5-year-old boy was hospitalized due to methamphetamine consumption shortly after trick or treating.

Also in 2018, parents from Aloha, Oregon, reported feeling ill after eating a packet of Sour Patch Kids their children received on Halloween. Testing revealed that the candy was laced with methamphetamine. Fortunately, the children and parents recovered after a hospital visit.

In 2019, a woman found a small bag of heroin in a batch of candy at a Trunk-or-Treat event in New Jersey. Luckily, the woman noticed it before children could mistake it for candy.

There is also the fear of sharp objects being stuck in candy. In 2021, after inspecting their childrens’ candy, concerned parents found a small slit in the wrappers. Finding it strange, they unwrapped the candy and found a small razor blade embedded in the candy bar.

In 2022, The Register-Guard reported that three people in Eugene had supposedly found small razors buried in their candy after trick-or-treating. The three reports came from a four-by-four block near the Friendly Street neighborhood.

Whether or not these findings are real is another issue. Some people believe that children or their parents are the ones planting the blades.

“It’s a very simple matter for a child to take a pin, stick it in a candy bar, run in and say, ‘Mom, look what I found,’ and be rewarded with the concerned attention of adults,” Joel Best,  a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, said in an interview with NPR. “If people press these folks, they’ll almost always say, ‘Yeah, that was a joke.'”

Best also said parents are quick to blame children’s injuries and health problems on the candy from Halloween when, in fact, there are no recorded cases of a child ever being seriously injured from sharp objects or drugs in their candy. One example of this was a girl in Los Angeles who died from a congenital heart problem. 

“The media originally reported it is probably candy contamination, and the autopsy concluded it was a death by natural causes. There have been a couple other cases like that,” Best said.

Despite statements made by citizens saying they were joking and the reality of congenital diseases, parents are still worried.

With the rise of fentanyl overdoses and the ever-looming threat of blades, many doctors and health advisors continue to encourage parents and children to inspect their candy before eating it. As always, if feeling unwell after consuming candy, call a doctor or an ambulance if necessary. Have a safe and amazing Halloween!

By Jada Jones