You may have noticed green Weed World vans parked on New York City streets. I frequently pass by the huge trailer on 14th Street in Union Square. It has an Alabama license and indiscreetly advertises lollipops made with weed — or so we are led to believe.
Given the marijuana laws in NYC, I can’t help but cringe at the blatant advertising shouting “YES…WE DELIVER” and featuring huge pictures of candies with names such as Lemon Drop Cush or Strawberry Cough.
A fleet of trucks, owned by front man Judah Izsraael, are now scattered in cities across the U.S. Launched in 1999 in Birmingham, Ala., Weed World Candy hopes to decriminalize marjiuana by selling sweets such as brownies and bubblegum. The lollipops, which sell for $5 each, are a best seller.
In order to avoid legal trouble, Izsraael has stated that the candies only contain trace amounts of THC.
“We’re not giving out blunts,” Izraael told the New York Daily News in 2013. “We can’t guarantee that everyone is going to get high.”
With or without a guarantee, NYPD officers have been suspicious of the company and its products for some time. Suspecting a scam, they tested the candy and found that it actually contained no marijuana.
Even so, company vendors haven’t been arrested yet for fraud. Cops, however, still keep a close eye on street teams, who have tried to sell products without a permit.
