As of 2026, 38 states have medical marijuana programs and 24 states allow adults aged 21 and older to buy high-THC cannabis products. Once largely confined to homemade illicit "pot brownies," the cannabis edibles market has taken off with medical and recreational marijuana llegalization.
Cannabis edibles in the U.S. are primarily divided into two categories: marijuana-derived THC products regulated state-by-state based on their laws and hemp-derived THC products permitted federally under the 2018 Farm Bill. Popular types of both kinds of edibles include gummies, chocolates, other candies, gum, baked goods, and infused beverages.
For states with full legalization, some dispensaries create their own candy confections or bake their own treats for customers.
For those who partake who coexist with those who don't, clearly labeling their edibles is important to avoid unexpected ingestion. But a dispensary created item may not come in a labeled package.
An enjoyer of edibles turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback after an accidental ingestion by their fiancé.
StormyetLovey asked:
"AITA for leaving an unmarked 'special' caramel on the counter where my sober fiancé found and ate it?"
The original poster (OP) explained:
"So some backstory: my fiancé does not partake in any substances. I am a regular green smoker."
"A family member used to work at a dispensary at this time, and would regularly give me free edibles. Usually they were labeled, but sometimes if I only got 1 or 2 from the pack, they wouldn't have any writing."
"So the incident: I had a piece of chocolate (fully labeled as THC) and a caramel (unlabeled, but placed on top of or right next to the chocolate) sitting on the kitchen counter. We have a rule in our house that if something is not labeled (especially candy) DO NOT EAT IT if you're worried about accidentally partaking."
"Unbeknownst to me, my fiancé took the caramel and ate it. He does not partake at all, and it was probably about 15mg. We had to run to town for some errands (again, I had no idea he had eaten my caramel) and on the drive back he started talking about his head hurting."
"We got home and he drank a bunch of water, thinking he was dehydrated or something. He ended up having to lie down for the rest of the day and was feeling sick the entire night."
"I found the chocolate piece a few days later, but not the caramel. I ran to my fiancé and demanded to know if he ate the caramel, worried my (also sober) sister grabbed it, or one of the cats found it and ran off to eat it."
"He sheepishly told me 'yes, I noticed it was on the counter for a while and you hadn't touched it'. I immediately started laughing and told him what happened."
"I made fun of him for his 'headache' and told him this is why we have the rule. He told me it's my fault for leaving an unlabeled edible in the kitchen where I knew he would go for a caramel."
"I reminded him that it was either right next to or on top of the labeled piece of chocolate, but he still insists it's my fault for not warning him."
"So Reddit, AITA?"
The OP summed up why they might be the a**hole in their situation.
"I left an unlabled edible where my sober fiancé found and ate it."
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
- INFO - more information needed
Most Redditors decided the OP was the a**hole (YTA) although many were more concerned about the cat...
"Anytime anything that contains any kind of drug is out in the open for any person to grab, it should be marked as such. You live with two sober people."
"Of course their sobriety is their responsibility, and I get you have this standing house rule but I still think YTA because you also have CATS. Mark your sh*t for the fellow adult humans you share a home with, and put your sh*t away because you have cats." ~ freckyfresh
"At a minimum, you have a cat, so don't leave drugs out. YTA." ~ Witty-Stock-4913
"YTA. Store your drugs responsibly. I get that you have a rule, but it's still not a good system because cats can't read." ~ ShillinTheVillain
"Cats aren’t always so great at following verbal or even written rules, I’ve noticed. Sorry cats. I don’t mean to offend any cat. YTA, as a cat owner OP." ~ productzilch
"YTA. Not mostly because of your fiancé. Sounds like you have some rules, such as they are, but personally I wouldn’t ever leave any unlabelled active substances lying around be they my prescription medicines or otherwise. It’s just basic responsible adult behaviour."
"But you left this lying around when you have cats‽ You just mention that in passing? That’s a horribly negligent and irresponsible thing to do. I can’t believe the two of you are arguing about anything else. You do know chocolate can also be highly toxic to cats?"
"You want to laugh about your sober fiancé getting an unexpected buzz/massive headache, but will killing one or more of your cats also be hilarious? You left cannabis edibles out in the open for days. You're an irresponsible pet owner and kind of a crappy fiancée." ~ SantaFe91
"You're saying 'oh well the rule' but this is an unreasonable rule that only enables your own carelessness. Sure, he shouldn't have just randomly eaten a piece of candy, but.... What is the upside to this rule, other than that it absolves you of having to take a reasonable amount of care with where you leave your unlabeled intoxicants?"
"It seems like a rule that benefits you and puts a burden on him with no reciprocal obligation on your part. Why is the onus on him to assume that any candy might be weed, rather than on you to make sure that the weed you bring home is clearly identifiable?"
"This just seems like asking for something like this to happen. I mean, what happens if he brings home a piece of unlabeled caramel and they get mixed up? Even if you say he shouldn't have eaten the random candy, your rule is still not really a reasonable way to store intoxicating substances."
"Especially when there are cats in the house!"
"Get a box for your stash, then stash your stash in it. You're foisting your own irresponsible storage of cannabis onto your boyfriend and I don't think that's reasonable.
"And for whatever it's worth, I smoke a sh*tload of weed that I don't leave laying around for pets, kids, or sober adults to get into. If you're old enough to partake, you're old enough to be responsible for your sh*t." ~ GrumbleStoatskin
...but some noted that the OP said not eating unlabeled food was a previously established rule, making OP not the a**hole (NTA), as long as the cats can read labels.
"NTA if it's a previously discussed rule, not to eat unlabled things, specifically for this reason, then it's on him. Also, just in general, if you don't know for a fact that something is intended to be shared with you, it's pretty freaking common courtesy to at least ask before taking it."
"Not your fault. He should've asked, or left it alone." ~ trigonalCitrus
"NTA. I was at my friends' second wedding (there was a bit of a cock-up at their first so they had another a year later) and by that point pretty much everyone knew I had gotten sober. I spent the evening pounding water and cokes (the brown liquid, not the white powder)."
"Head inside with a friend and there's a glass drink dispenser on the kitchen counter filled with a clear liquid and some limes. I'm about to pour myself a glass, assuming it's water, then stop and think, remembering a lot of people here are quite fond of gin and tonics."
"Ask my friend, 'hey, can you try a sip of that in case it's just a big container of G&T?' He tries it and says, 'Nah dude, it's water, you're all good'."
"If you're trying to maintain sobriety, you need to keep some personal accountability and awareness of what you're drinking/eating/having administered by nurses. OP shouldn't have left it out at all, let alone losing track of it for days, but fiancé shouldn't have eaten a random caramel when he knows that there's a distinct possibility it might have a little something extra in it." ~ chalk_in_boots
"NTA based off of this: 'We have a rule in our house that if something is not labeled (especially candy) DO NOT EAT IT if you're worried about accidentally partaking'."
"That is only fact that matters. It was an established rule. He saw an unlabeled candy and he ate it. He broke the established rule. Any consequences thereafter are his to suffer." ~ JustWordsInYourHead
"Did the cats agree to this rule?" ~ MalZaar
Veterinarians report that pets being treated for ingesting edibles is on the rise with the increased presence of the products in people's homes.
Standard marijuana or THC ingestion usually won't cause death as long as the pet receives immediate veterinary care. Medical-grade products can overwhelm a small pet's system and cause death.
Even smaller amounts or concentrations of THC can cause severe symptoms, but fatalities from edibles most often occur because of common ingredients that are highly toxic to pets, like xylitol and chocolate.
If you're going to partake, keep your pets safe.
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