Fall is officially here, and with fall comes Halloween. Dressing up in costumes, going to haunted houses, trick-or-treating and even getting hit by drunk drivers! The Halloween holiday can be a great time full of friends, family and candy, but there are also a ton of dangers that come with this fun. People of all ages and from all over the world participate in Halloween activities during the month of October. Although these festivities can be great, they can also be incredibly dangerous.
In recent years, laced Halloween candy has become a problem. Trick-or-treaters will take candy from a stranger’s house and unexpectedly get a marijuana-infused gummy worm. Even though such a dose is probably not lethal, this incident could lead to the child becoming addicted and abusing substances.
“Just make sure you know who you’re getting candy from. Make sure it’s not someone who’s going to put razor blades in apples or taint candy. Just make sure that the kids know exactly what they’re getting into. They could end up going to a drinking Halloween party without knowing which could lead to future addiction,” Ms. Barb Martz, Prevention Specialist, said.
It can be almost impossible to tell if candy has been laced. Some telltale signs include torn packaging, discoloration and even misspelled labels. Although drugs such as marijuana have a pungent stench, this smell goes away when cooked into candy, according to dea.gov. Outside of laced candy, car accident rates can increase up to 22% on Halloween, according to plevinandgallucci.com. A combination of rambunctious children running through the streets and potentially drunk drivers heading to and from Halloween parties is a recipe for disaster. Kids in darker costumes could be at even more risk later on in the evening.
“Do not eat any treats until they have been examined and determined to be safe. Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to vehicle traffic are some big tips to staying safe. If you see something suspicious or dangerous, call 911,” Officer Greg Pullen, Resource Officer, said.
As if Halloween wasn’t scary enough already, all of these additional things to worry about can be a lot to handle. According to the Child Mind Institute, kids who struggle to tell real from imaginary could end up being traumatized during Halloween. According to nbcnews.com, children interpret Halloween in different ways based on their own life situations. Recent deaths in a child’s family, as well as mental illness, could make it difficult for them to differentiate between what is real and what is fake during this spooky holiday. Going trick-or-treating without being able to tell whether or not the massive inflatable monster in someone’s front yard is real or not would most definitely be terrifying for anyone. Children who get anxious easily should be aware of what they are getting themselves into every Halloween. These kids might need additional supervision or preparation before going out trick-or-treating.