Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jan 2005
Source: Press-Enterprise (CA)
Copyright: 2005 The Press-Enterprise Company
Contact:  http://www.pe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830
Author: Leslie Berkman, The Press-Enterprise

LOLLIPOT?

Inland Entrepreneur's Marijuana-Tasting Candy Not For Kids

Antonio Montana of Riverside sells marijuana-flavored candy that in recent 
weeks has raised the ire of a New York City Councilwoman and provided 
fodder for late-night talk show hosts. At the center of the attention is 
Chronic Candy, marketed with the claim it is "like taking a hit with every 
lick."

Its allegedly pot-like flavor comes from hemp oil, not marijuana. Sugar is 
the only ingredient that could give someone a rush, said Montana, 36, the 
owner and chief executive of the candy-making company.

The sour-tasting novelty candy comes in the form of lollipops and sugared 
jellies in hues of blue, green, yellow and rainbow. The confections have 
marijuana-associated names like Acapulco Gold and Icky Sticky Buds and can 
be purchased in three-piece Nickel sacks, which Montana also calls "party 
bags."

New York City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez, who chairs a council committee 
on substance abuse, said she was distressed to learn from her staff that 
Chronic Candy was being sold in a store near a middle school in the borough 
of Queens.

Lopez said even if the candy does not contain marijuana, it could tempt 
children to try illegal and harmful drugs by glorifying the drug culture.

"This is not for kids," said Montana, who has an 18-month-old daughter. "If 
they had a war to keep this out of kids' hands, I would be the first soldier."

Montana said he plans to put warning labels on the candy saying it is only 
for customers 18 and older.

Montana said he enjoys smoking pot every day and has an identification card 
that allows him to buy it for medical purposes, in his case to alleviate 
headaches. He said the candy is meant for adults who have already used 
marijuana and thus have acquired a taste for it. He contends some people 
who want to give up marijuana use the candy to relieve craving.

"It is a bit disingenuous to think it is not marketed to children," 
countered Lopez. "Everybody knows candy is equivalent to children. One of 
the ploys bad people use to get children involved in things is candy."

Lopez said her committee will consider passing a resolution condemning 
Chronic Candy. She said she also is studying the feasibility of prohibiting 
the sale of the candy in New York City.

Hemp oil does not contain a significant amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or 
THC, the psychoactive agent in marijuana, according to the U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration.

Frank Lewis, manager of Riverside County's substance abuse program, said he 
had not received any complaints about the candy. After looking at the 
Chronic Candy Web site, he said the product is legal. But he said the 
suggestive marketing would appeal to children who might believe the treats 
could give them a drug-like high.

Dottie Reichard, a nurse who administers an anti-drug program for the 
Corona-Norco Unified School District, said she would have the same concern 
about Chronic Candy making marijuana seem acceptable to schoolchildren that 
she has about the long-term influence of candy cigarettes and bubble gum 
packaged like chewing tobacco.

School officials say the exposure of youth to marijuana remains a problem 
in California. A statewide survey taken last year for the California 
attorney general found that 30 percent of 11th-graders had used marijuana 
in the prior six months. That was slightly less than the 34 percent of 
11th-graders who similarly answered a survey in 2002.

Montana said he discovered hemp-flavored candy six years ago when he was 
visiting Amsterdam with his parents. He said he took lollipops to a rock 
concert in San Bernardino in 1999 and sold out his stock in two hours, 
making $2,000.

That was when he quit his warehousing job and a side business building and 
selling model cars and concentrated on launching a candy company. He said 
the candy is imported from Belgium.

Montana said he sells the candy - as well as a line of clothing, DVDs and 
CDs - at rock and rap concerts around the country, over the Internet and at 
300 stores in 30 states. He said he spends about 28 cents to make and 
package the lollipop he sells for $2. His goal, he said, is to find an 
artificial flavoring he can use to replace hemp oil, which he said is too 
expensive, so he can further improve his profit margin.

Montana said since the story about his controversial candy broke in New 
York in early December, "my whole life changed." The publicity, including 
news stories on network and cable television, has generated inquiries from 
would-be distributors in other parts of the world, including Israel and 
Australia. He said already he has sold candy and DVD distribution rights to 
a company in Japan.

Among the highlights of recent weeks, he said, rapper Snoop Dogg brought 
Chronic Candy with him to Conan O'Brien late-night show. After fellow TV 
show host Jay Leno mentioned the candy on the air, Montana said, his 
company's Web site crashed under the increased volume of visitors . Since 
then, he said, he has been forced to increase the Web site's capacity 
several times.

So good was business even before the bonus publicity, Montana said, that he 
and his wife Regina were able to buy a $700,000 house in Riverside with six 
bedrooms and a swimming pool.

The three-car garage holds his flashy van - a rolling advertisement for the 
candy - and doubles as a warehouse. Montana said last year his business 
cleared $150,000 and he "can't wait" to see how much it grows in 2005.

Standing in the great room of his new house and lifting his arms to 
underscore all he has achieved, Montana said, "It is not about the product. 
It is a business and it is about the American Dream."
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