The FDA could initiate a mandatory recall, but it hasn't. Before doing so, the agency must first give a company the opportunity to recall products voluntarily. A recall is necessary when the secretary of Health and Human Services determines a product is adulterated or mislabeled. The only time the agency has mandated a recall was in 2018 when salmonella was found in kratom products from a company called Triangle Pharmanaturals.
Regardless of which entity initiated this current recall, the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services have all put out warnings about the Diamond Shruumz products.
As of July 16, there were 69 cases of illness associated with the mushroom edibles across 28 states, including two in Texas. Sixty people reported seeking medical attention, 36 were hospitalized and there is one potentially associated death under investigation. Multiple children have also been hospitalized after ingesting the Diamond Shruumz edibles.
Symptoms have included seizures, central nervous system depression (loss of consciousness, confusions, sleepiness), agitation, abnormal heart rate, hyper/hypotension, nausea and vomiting.
“FDA is working with the National Association of Convenience Stores and the National Smoke Shop Association to increase awareness of the recall,” the agency said in a July 16 statement. “All Diamond Shruumz-brand products have been recalled and should not be available for sale.”
Several shops we called said they had heard about the recall and pulled the items from their shelves. However, Spark Smoke Shop on Garland Road in Dallas was still carrying the products on Tuesday when we visited a number of retailers to see if the recalled Diamond Shroomz products were still available for sale. An employee at Spark told us the store had heard about the recall but hadn't had any problems with the products, so it's keeping them on the shelves. The employee said before removing them, they'd first have to talk to the owner of the chain of smoke shops."That's the stuff that gives us a bad name." – Matt, CBD American Shaman
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Other shops, like a CBD American Shaman location in Frisco where we previously bought the edibles, were quick to remove the products. An employee there named Matt, who declined to give his last name, said the products were pulled as soon as he heard about the recall. "That's not worth it," he said. "If there's something going on, it's not worth keeping it out there. That's the stuff that gives us a bad name."
Marketing messaging for the Diamond Shruumz products claims they don’t contain psychedelics. However, testing has found that the products did indeed contain psychedelic substances, including illegal ones. A few days before the company behind the products initiated the recall on June 27, the FDA tested the edibles and found several substances. Among them was a chemical called 4-ACO-DMT, otherwise known as “synthetic mushrooms.” This chemical will, in fact, make a user trip.
The Blue Ridge Poison Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, conducted its own testing of several mushroom edible products, including Diamond Shruumz. The center had seen cases of adverse effects associated with these products, which prompted its investigation. These mushroom products are often marketed as nootropics, substances that can enhance cognitive function, or as psychedelics. Some also claim to contain the substances muscimol, ibotenic acid and muscarine, which come from the amanita muscaria mushroom. The poison center set out to test these products and found some interesting results. The research was published by the CDC on July 18.
Consumers and retailers should avoid these products, according to the FDA. If you see stores continuing to carry Diamond Shruumz edibles or have experienced adverse effects from the products, you can file a report with the agency. The CDC is advising people to stay away from products claiming to produce feelings of euphoria, hallucinations or psychedelic effects because they may contain undisclosed ingredients that could be linked to illness.
