Stoney Patch Kids and Double Stuff Stoneos. They're marijuana edibles with names closely resembling store-bought treats in packaging that could be appealing to kids, and they're for sale on the Ocean Beach Boardwalk.
Parents like Michael Copley aren’t happy.
"I’m worried a kid is going to get it. I don’t know anyone harmed by it, but it's just unacceptable to not protect people from exposure," Copley said.
Copley and other members of "Respect OB," a community watch group, are praising Wednesday's San Diego City Council Committee vote to regulate vendors.
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"The city is enforcing organizations to pay for permits and jump through loopholes to do the exact same thing, and these vendors have no recourse if they don’t follow the law."
Copley and others say they hope the ordinance will help crack down on vendors like, like one seller in OB who only identified himself as Dan.
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The packaging on his smorgasbord of edible snacks advertises extra-strength, 500mg of THC, the compound in marijuana that gives people a "high."
"Well, there are loopholes to anything, like taxes or anything. Delta 8 makes that legal to sell," Dan said.
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Delta 8 is the psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant that's unregulated at the federal level and legal in some states. An SDPD spokesperson told NBC 7 Wednesday Delta 8 is "considered a THC substance and not a CBD substance. So it’s illegal if dealt without a license."
Dan ended our conversation before we could check for a license, but he isn't the only one with edibles for sale. A second vendor who also appeared to be selling edibles packed up before we could talk to him.
"The challenge is there is nothing that's going to stop a vendor from selling to a kid if they have money, because there’s nothing to take away," Copley said. "There is no mechanism of enforcement unless a police officer observes it. So without those rules in place, it's really dangerous."
Copley said he hopes the proposed partial ban on vendors in some public areas, as well as requiring licenses and permits, will help keep children and the community safe.
The SDPD spokesperson said the department's Narcotics Unit is looking into complaints in Ocean Beach. "Anyone who has information should contact SDPD. They may also call Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous," he said.
