Major operation against prohibited sweets in cannabis shops in Barcelona

BarcelonaInspection raid on cannabis stores this Thursday in Barcelona. Fifty Urban Police officers, accompanied by representatives from the inspection services of the City Council, the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), and Treball, simultaneously entered 35 such stores this afternoon to seize food products containing cannabis or cannabis derivatives. An operation dubbed candy (candy) that comes two weeks after the Ministry of Health banned the sale and distribution of sweets made with semi-synthetic cannabis derivatives throughout the country.

That ministerial order gave Barcelona City Council ammunition to increase the pressure on businesses that the municipal government has long had its sights on. With Thursday's offensive, the city council of the Catalan capital sought to remove from circulation any food products made with semi-synthetic cannabis derivatives. Items that, according to the Chief Superintendent of the Guardia Urbana, Benito Granados, beneath their "innocuous" appearance pose an "obvious health risk."

Granados also warned that these types of products, which often take the form of candy, cake, or chocolate, reach audiences who "may not know what they are consuming," often young people. In this regard, he warned that these types of substances have a "high capacity to cause addiction" and can be the gateway for a young person to an escalation in consumption that leads them to other narcotic substances.

Throughout the morning, these cross-cutting teams inspected 28 cannabis shops from top to bottom that the City Police had detected could still be selling these types of sweets. Upon entering the premises, they examined any product that could conceal semi-synthetic cannabis derivatives, as well as the type of license, and that the shop complied with aspects such as labor regulations and those related to the urban landscape.

The inspectors detected 145 violations and opened two criminal proceedings. In addition, 1,800 objects were seized, more than half of which show signs of containing drug extracts, such as cocaine or hashish. They will be taken to a laboratory for analysis to clarify any doubts. Currently, two people are under investigation out of the thirty establishments inspected as a result of the operation. candy.

A health risk

During the pre-session meeting with the people who took part in the operation, Granados also emphasized the health risks posed by consuming these types of foods, which, at first glance, may seem harmless. This, he warned, can lead to someone unwittingly taking a high dose, which, when it hits the stomach, can lead to serious health problems.

Cannabis candies do not contain the active ingredients of the narcotic substance, but do contain other semi-synthetic derivatives that can cause similar or, sometimes, more pronounced effects. Speaking with ARA, the head of the toxicology unit at Hospital Clínic, Emilio Salgado, explained a few months ago that THCP "is between 10 and 15 times more potent than THC, the active psychotropic ingredient in marijuana."

The City Council's intention, however, is to go further and for this order to allow not only the opening of administrative proceedings against these businesses, but also criminal proceedings in some cases. Therefore, it has contacted the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Health to specify in which cases—for what type of products and at what quantities—criminal proceedings can be initiated if the sale of these sweets is detected. For now, it still has no conclusive response.