Some Psychedelic Mushroom Chocolates Lack Mushrooms

In recent years, psychedelics have expanded their purview, with something that had once been a countercultural accessory expanding into the field of mental health. That’s gone hand in hand with a global movement to legalize psychedelics — something which has made the experience of seeing psychedelic-tinged food and drink more widespread than it was a decade ago.

Just how psychedelic are the psychedelic snacks you may see available for purchase, though? According to a new Los Angeles Times investigation, the answer is “not much” in plenty of cases. Keri Blakinger and Connor Sheets researched the contents of various magic mushroom-infused chocolates and found plenty of mushrooms, but far less magic.

The Times investigation gathered together samples of 33 different products purchased in San Diego and Los Angeles. Under analysis, these turned out to be a bit less psychedelic than prospective buyers likely hoped. As Blakinger and Sheets wrote, after analyzing the samples, lab results revealed that “40% contained no psilocybin.” In lieu of psilocybin, some of the chocolates contained synthetic hallucinogens instead; one band featured bath salts.

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Earlier this summer, the FDA opened an investigation of one brand of psychedelic chocolates: Diamond Shruumz. The agency issued a recall and posted a warning about the symptoms that some people who tried the candies experienced, including “seizures, central nervous system depression (loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness), agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea, and vomiting.”

Psychedelic chocolates are like nearly anything else you might consume: you’re going to want to make sure that what you’re putting into your body is what it purports to be. Psychedelic mushrooms and bath salts are not the same thing; if a product says that it contains the former but actually contains the latter, that’s a risky proposition for everyone involved.