WASHINGTON – A new study published Thursday finds that several mushroom candies, which are widely promoted as containing legal psychedelic ingredients, actually contain illegal hallucinogens.
The study sampled products sold in gas stations and smoke shops near Charlottesville, Va. It identified the Schedule I drug psilocin in mushroom candies sold under the brand names Diamond Shruumz and Wonderland Legal Psychedelics. A product sold under the brand Urb contained both psilocybin and psilocin. Both chemicals are psychoactive compounds found in magic mushrooms, which make users hallucinate.
Another product tested by the University of Virginia researchers, Psilly’s Legal Psychedelic Mushrooms, did not contain the illegal hallucinogens, but did include the stimulant ephedrine. The Wonderland product also contained the active ingredient in kratom, the herbal substance known to cause opioid-like effects.
All of these brands advertise that they provide some level of psychedelic experience, however, they purport to contain legal alternatives to illicit drugs. The Diamond Shruumz products that were tested advertise containing lion’s mane, chaga, and reishi mushrooms – all of which can be safely eaten and are commonly found in health food stores. The Urb product says it contains muscimol, a federally legal substance known for having psychoactive properties.
The study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, is likely to ratchet up concern among public health officials, including Food and Drug Administration regulators. Until recently, the FDA has largely been mum about the rise of these products, which STAT documented in January were being sold in New York City.
FDA officials began warning consumers about these products last month after several people became sick when ingesting Diamond Shruumz products.
A June alert from CDC said injured consumers of Diamond Shruumz products reported sedation, seizures, abnormal heart rates and blood pressure, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Several patients had more serious symptoms requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation.
As of July 15, Diamond Shruumz products have sickened 69 people across 28 states, leading to 36 hospitalizations and one suspected death, according to recently released FDA data.
Previous FDA testing of Diamond Shruumz products found that the candies contained psilacetin, a compound with a murky legal status believed to have a similar effect on the body as psilocin. FDA tests did not, however, appear to detect psilocybin or psilocin.
The University of Virginia team tested the mushroom products in October 2023 using liquid chromatography.
The entire saga parallels closely the situation unfolding with intoxicating cannabis edibles and vapes, which are being advertised as legal “hemp” products, because they contain Delta 8 THC, a slightly altered version of the principal psychoactive compound in marijuana. Urb, the company that makes the product containing both psilocybin and psilocin, also sells Delta 8 THC products.
The FDA has noted that the mushroom products are sold at “smoke/vape shops, and at retailers that sell hemp-derived products such as cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC).”
It is unclear if any of the products analyzed for the MMWR paper were intentionally spiked with these illegal compounds, or if something else caused the products to test positive for these illegal substances. Neither Urb or Diamond Shruumz could be reached for comment.
However, Diamond Shruumz announced a recall of all of its products, prior to the MMWR paper being published, because of the recent spate of illnesses. A notice on the Diamond Shruumz website says the company is recalling all of its products “while we, alongside the FDA, continue our investigation as to what is the cause of the serious adverse effects.”