Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Psychedelic Mushroom Candies Include Illegal Hallucinogens, Testing Finds
Stat: Illegal Hallucinogens Found In 'Legal' Psychedelic Magic Mushrooms
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. (Florko, 7/18)
CBS News: Recalled Diamond Shruumz Gummies Contained Illegal Controlled Substance, Testing Finds
People eating some of the now-recalled Diamond Shruumz brand candies may also have been getting a dose of an illegal substance from magic mushrooms, testing by a Virginia poison control center has confirmed. The Blue Ridge Poison Center at the University of Virginia says they found psilocin among the undisclosed substances mixed into Diamond Shruumz gummies. (Tin, 7/18)
Newsweek: Toddler Taken To Hospital After Eating 'Health' Gummies With Illegal Secret
Five people in Virginia, including a three-year-old child, fell ill after consuming the gummies, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. ... Researchers also found other harmful ingredients in the gummies, including the hallucinogen psilocin, as well as caffeine, ephedrine, and kratom. (Thomson, 7/18)
Also —
Stat: FDA Probe Of MDMA Clinical Trial Issues Hasn't Included Key Players
At a contentious advisory committee meeting in June, the Food and Drug Administration announced it was investigating allegations of data suppression and misconduct in clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy. (Goldhill, 7/19)
Reuters: Judge Won't Halt New York City Crackdown On Unlicensed Cannabis Sales
A federal judge on Thursday refused to halt New York City's crackdown on unlicensed sellers of cannabis, citing public safety concerns. U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan said 27 cannabis sellers whose businesses were shut down were unlikely to succeed on their claim that the closures violated their due process rights under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. A lawyer for the sellers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Stempel, 7/18)
