There are many such stories posted every Halloween, but this year I'll be picking on ABC 7 today for pliantly running the annual fake news, sourced to local cops, warning of drugs and razor blades being fed to children out Trick or Treating.
Indiana State Police say marijuana edibles could fool parents. At first glance at one bag, they look a lot like candy. But if you look closer, you'll see the word "medicated." There are also marijuana plants displayed on the bag. Edibles that are sold at dispensaries are required to display information making it clear these are not for kids.
No-one is handing out their ridiculously expensive marijuana edibles to children! The best kids can hope for is some old viagra.
The candy-poisoning urban myth is so prevalent (and so absent evidence of it actually happening) that there's a whole Wiki article about it: "Almost all tampering cases—at a rate of one or two per year—involve a friend or family member, usually as a prank. Almost all of those involved sharp objects, rather than poisoning."
Indeed, Snopes reports a single case of a man putting pins in Halloween candy in 2000, which resulted in charges but no injuries. So that particular scenario is, however rare, at least attested in record.
Canada's Food Inspection Agency found four credible reports in the decade leading up to 2019, but none resulting in injury