A 15-year-old girl and five others have been hospitalized after eating chocolates infused with THC and mushrooms.
The patients suffered from seizures, the FDA said, with patients then intubated and put on ventilators in intensive care units.
All had consumed at least one piece of a Diamond Shruumz chocolate bar, which contain THC and a ‘proprietary blend’ of mushrooms ‘with a kick’.
These mushrooms don’t contain psilocybin, which is illegal in the US at a federal level, but do contain other active compounds linked to better mood and wellbeing.
People have been hospitalized after eating ‘microdosing’ chocolate bars called Diamond Shruumz (pictured). People are being 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 mushrooms start to go off — which can cause seizures.
The FDA urged people not to consume the bars — which are sold nationwide — and told stores to take them off their shelves.
Steve Dudley, the director of the Arizona Poison Centers — where most illnesses have been reported — said: ‘While these products claim to contain only natural ingredients and no scheduled drugs, there is clearly something toxic occurring.
‘We’ve seen the same phenomenon of people eating the chocolate bar then seizing, losing consciousness, and having to be intubated.
‘We are urging the public to use extreme caution due to the very serious effects of these products.’
A total of eight illnesses across four states have been reported to date, with the last on June 3. There have been no recorded deaths.
Half the illnesses were in Arizona, while two were in Indiana and one each in Nevada and Pennsylvania.
The bars are typically sold online or in weed shops, and cost $25 each.
They are for microdosing, or the action of taking very small amounts of a drug in order to test or benefit from is physiological actions while minimizing risks.
Diamond Shruumz, based in California, has thousands of followers on social media — where it posts videos of youngsters trying its products before feeling the effects.
Diamond Shruumz are marketed as a chocolate bar for microdosing
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 Diamond Shruumz microdosing chocolate bars (not real psilocybin) and ended up on ventilators and are currently in the ICU at the children’s hospital.
‘I don’t want any other parents to have to go through this nightmare.
‘The night before they overdosed there were other overdosese that came in.
‘So far, everyone has survived, but they don’t even know what’s causing it so there is no antidote.’
Her daughter, who was not named, has now been taken off a ventilator and discharged from hospital — with her condition said to be improving.
The FDA is particularly concerned about the bars because it says their bright packaging could appeal to children.
In an alert, the agency said: ‘Parents and caregivers should consider discussin the information in this advisory with their children, and take extra care to avoid this product 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 ‘microdosing’ treats, including gummies and cones packed with a combination of sugar, THC and mushrooms.
For its chocolate bars, it says consuming just one or two slices could cause a ‘trip’ — with users advised to wait 30 minutes to an hour before eating any more.
It says eating nine chunks or more can lead to someone reaching a euphoric and chillaxed state.
Mushrooms included in the bars are Lion’s mane, linked to anti-depressive effects, as well as Reishi and Chaga mushrooms, which some say can help to boost mood.
None of the mushrooms contain psilocybin, the hallucinogen present in magic mushrooms.
DailyMail.com has contacted Diamond Shruumz for comment.
