Microdosing candy could lead to death after candy sickened 50 people in dozens of states

Federal officials are investigating the death of a patient who may have eaten “microdosing” candies that have now been recalled across the U.S.

The FDA did not provide further details about the person but did say the fatality was “possibly related” to Diamond Shruumz products, which are sold in vape shops across the US.

At least 48 people have fallen ill in the past month after eating the company’s chocolate bars, cones and gummies, while 27 people have been hospitalized with seizures, loss of consciousness and abnormal heartbeats.

Customers in the US are urged not to consume the products and to throw them in the trash or return them to the supplier for a full refund.

Research found that the sweets contained muscimol, a psychoactive chemical found in the potentially poisonous fly agaric that can cause epileptic seizures.

Above you can see some of the products that have been recalled due to the illnesses

The candies are used for ‘microdosing’, which involves taking very small amounts of a drug to test its physiological effects and thus minimise unwanted effects.

They were typically sold at smoke and vape shops and retailers that sell hemp-based products such as CBD or THC for $25 each.

In the recall notice, the California chocolate maker said some customers had become ill after eating an entire bar in one sitting.

They said: ‘It is critical that all of our consumers do not take this product while we continue our investigation with the FDA into the cause of the serious adverse events.’

The diseases have been identified in 24 states.

The states are: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee.

The chocolate bars and candies claim to contain a “proprietary blend” of mushrooms “with a kick” so someone can microdose.

People have been hospitalised after eating ‘microdosing’ chocolate bars called Diamond Shruumz (pictured). People are being warned not to eat them

This does not apply to psilocybin, which is federally illegal in the US, but it does apply to other active substances associated with improved mood and well-being.

The labels list mushrooms such as Lion’s mane, which has been linked to antidepressant effects, Reishi and Chaga, which some claim can improve mood.

It was not clear whether the products also promoted Amanita mushrooms, which are large and red.

Among those hospitalized by Diamond Shruumz is a 15-year-old girl from Arizona.

Her mother, Tina Griffin, wrote online: ‘Yesterday my 15 year old daughter and her 16 year old nephew ate these Diamond Shruumz microdosing chocolate bars (not real psilocybin) and ended up on a ventilator. They are currently in the intensive care unit of the children’s hospital.

‘I don’t want other parents to have to go through this nightmare.

‘The night before they overdosed, there were more people who overdosed.’

The FDA first sounded the alarm about Diamond Shruumz in early June after reports of illnesses after eating the chocolate were received from several states.

Since then, five updates have been published, tracking the number of cases and updating the investigation into the cause of the cases.

The FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Poison Centers are investigating the outbreak.