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Public health group warns Encinitas about mislabeled intoxicating products sold at local shops
Summary
A San Diego nonprofit told the Encinitas Public Health and Safety Commission that candy, snacks and beverages sold in convenience stores and smoke shops are often mislabeled, may contain THC or other controlled substances, and are being purchased by minors.
Peggy Walker, a representative of the San Diego Alliance for Drug Free Youth, told the Encinitas Public Health and Safety Commission that a wide variety of consumer products being sold at gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores are mislabeled and sometimes contain intoxicating controlled substances.
Walker said the products resemble candy, snacks and beverages and may be labeled as containing hemp-derived delta-8 or delta-9 THC, mushroom blends, kratom or other ingredients, but the county sheriff’s testing shows those labels cannot be trusted. “Whatever it says may or may not be in the product,” Walker said. She said sheriff’s testing found that roughly 60% of sampled products contained a controlled substance and that some are sold without age checks.
The San Diego Alliance for Drug Free Youth has alerted law enforcement and community partners to the issue; Walker said she was invited to a sheriff’s community partners meeting on Dec. 3 where the sheriff’s office shared results of product testing and a warning to buyers. Walker identified a smoke shop near San Diego Academy in Encinitas as one local location where such products have been observed.
Walker also highlighted kratom. She said Solana Beach recently adopted an ordinance that bans kratom sales and that the city of San Diego has a citywide ban; she said Oceanside also bans kratom. She asked the commission to publicize the sheriff’s warnings and the “buyer beware” message to families.
The commission did not take formal action on the public comment. Commissioners and staff later discussed enforcement activities in other agenda items, including sheriff’s enforcement of decoy operations for underage tobacco sales and county-level testing results referenced by Walker.
Ending: The commission included Walker’s remarks in the packet of public comments; Walker suggested the city and county alert parents and businesses in Encinitas about the mislabeling and illegal sales.
