A 15-year-old girl and five other people have been hospitalized after eating chocolates laced with THC and mushrooms.
The patients suffered seizures, the FDA said, and the patients were then intubated and put on ventilators in intensive care units.
Everyone had consumed at least one piece of the Diamond Shruumz chocolate bar, which contains THC and a “proprietary blend” of mushrooms “with a kick.”
These mushrooms do not contain psilocybin, which is federally illegal in the US, but they do contain other active compounds linked to better mood and well-being.
People have been hospitalized after eating ‘microdosed’ chocolate bars called Diamond Shruumz (pictured). People are warned not to eat them
It is not clear what is causing the illness, but there are suggestions that the mushrooms may have contained mycotoxins (chemicals produced when the mushrooms begin to explode) that can cause seizures.
The FDA urged people not to consume the bars, which are sold nationwide, and told stores to remove them from their shelves.
Steve Dudley, director of the Arizona Poison Centers, where most of the illnesses have been reported, said: “Although these products claim to contain only natural ingredients and no scheduled medications, it is clear that something toxic is going on.”
‘We have seen the same phenomenon of people eating the chocolate bar and then having seizures, losing consciousness and having to be intubated.
“We urge the public to take extreme caution due to the very serious effects of these products.”
To date, a total of eight illnesses have been reported in four states, the last one on June 3. No deaths have been recorded.
Half of the illnesses occurred in Arizona, while two in Indiana and one each in Nevada and Pennsylvania.
The bars are typically sold online or in marijuana stores and cost $25 each.
They are for microdosing, or the action of taking very small amounts of a medication to test or benefit from its physiological actions while minimizing risks.
California-based Diamond Shruumz has thousands of followers on social media, where it posts videos of young people trying its products before feeling the effects.
Diamond Shruumz is marketed as a microdosing chocolate bar
Among those who fell ill was the daughter of Arizona local Tina Griffin, who revealed her family’s trauma online.
She wrote: ‘Yesterday my 15 year old daughter and her 16 year old cousin ate these chocolate bars microdosed with Diamond Shruumz (not real psilocybin) and ended up on ventilators and are currently in the ICU at the children’s hospital.
‘I don’t want other parents to have to go through this nightmare.
‘The night before they overdosed there were other overdoses.
“So far, everyone has survived, but they don’t even know what’s causing it, so there’s no antidote.”
Their daughter, who was not identified, was taken off the ventilator and discharged from the hospital, and her condition is said to be improving.
The FDA is particularly concerned about the bars because it says their bright packaging could attract children.
In an alert, the agency said: “Parents and caregivers should consider discussing the information in this advisory with their children and take special care to prevent this product from being consumed by younger people.”
Diamond Shruumz chocolate bars are available in six flavors, including cinnamon, cookies and cream, and cookie butter.
The company also sells a variety of other ‘microdose’ treats, including gummies and cones filled with a combination of sugar, THC, and mushrooms.
For its chocolate bars, it says consuming just one or two slices could cause a “trip,” and users are advised to wait 30 minutes to an hour before eating more.
He says eating nine pieces or more can make someone reach a state of euphoria and relaxation.
The mushrooms included in the bars are lion’s mane, linked to antidepressant effects, as well as Reishi and Chaga mushrooms, which some say can help improve mood.
None of the mushrooms contain psilocybin, the hallucinogen present in magic mushrooms.
DailyMail.com has contacted Diamond Shruumz for comment.