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A recent rash of ER visits caused by gray market “mushroom edibles” has brought attention to a wave of questionable products that are taking advantage of current interest in psychedelics.
The products are being sold online and in head shops in New Mexico and across the country with words like “euphoria,” “trip” and “magic mushroom” written on the label, accompanied by artwork reminiscent of ’60s psychedelia.
The mostly unheard of market seems to rely heavily upon products sold as edibles infused with psilocybin or some other similar compound. But the ingredients on most of these products are a complete mystery, and they’ve been linked to a number of illnesses and even a couple of deaths over the last year.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was recently forced to issue a warning to consumers about a recall from the brand Diamond Shruumz, reporting that people who had eaten products from the company — including microdose chocolate bars, infused cones and infused gummies — had reported a variety of “severe symptoms,” including seizures, central nervous system depression, loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness, agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea and vomiting.
According to the FDA, a total of 145 illnesses related to Diamond Shruumz products — including 59 hospitalizations and potentially two deaths — have been reported from 29 states as of mid-August. Although none of those cases were located in New Mexico, the agency identified three stores in Albuquerque, and a store each in Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Roswell and Santa Fe that carried the products.
Manufacturer’s are often vague on details about content and choose not to divulge their “proprietary” blends.
Prophet Premium Blends, the company that makes Diamond Shruumz, said it believes the illnesses could have been cause by muscimol, a compound found in amanita muscaria, a mushroom that is difficult to cultivate in captivity and whose toxicity and negative psychoactive effects have made it unpalatable enough to most drug users that it was never included in the Controlled Substances Act.
Although it is a psychoactive mushroom, it does not contain psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in so-called “magic mushrooms” that has stirred the public’s imagination. Muscimol doesn’t even act on the same receptors as psilocybin, and the mushroom is categorized as a “deliriant” rather than a psychedelic. Amanita muscaria is known to cause sedation and euphoria as well as disassociation, but it also often causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even psychosis — making it an unpleasant experience for many users. However, the drug has become more prevalent in recent years as public interest in psychedelics rises but consumers are prohibited from using them.
The only problem with Prophet Premium Blends’ assessment is that the FDA tested a number of the company’s recalled products and less than half contained muscimol, meaning it couldn’t be the culprit behind the illnesses. Instead, the agency found a number of different compounds in a variety of combinations in various products, including acetylpsilocin (a synthetic psilocybin alternative), pregabalin (a prescription drug for nerve pain), chemicals found in the kava plant, ibotenic acid (another compound found in amanita muscaria) and psilocin (the chemical that psilocybin converts into inside the body).
The FDA investigation is ongoing, and it still isn’t clear what’s causing the negative medical responses. Until it becomes clear, consumers would do well to avoid these unregulated products.
States like New Mexico may need to consider this new vector of public health threat in the face of numerous other states that are moving to legalize psilocybin therapy. Without a regulated market for psychedelics, consumers will likely continue to turn to unregulated markets to sate their curiosity. And while psilocybin is a powerful, transformative and life-altering drug, it does not have toxic effects like those produced by “legal” mushroom edibles.