The Department of Health is warning Vermonters not to buy or consume the mushroom gummies that are now being sold in at least one retail location in Vermont.
According to Vermont's Deputy Health Commissioner Kelly Dougherty, the products contain a legal but psychotropic compound produced by the Amanita muscaria mushroom.
While there are currently no state or federal laws or regulations prohibiting the retail sale of the drug, Dougherty said that doesn’t mean the products are safe.
“You don’t know how potent it is, and you don’t know what other ingredients are in there.”Kelly Dougherty, deputy health commissioner
“That product can depress your central nervous system, which is probably why people want to take it, but can also cause confusion or dizziness, agitation, and other symptoms,” she told Vermont Public Tuesday. “You don’t know how potent it is, and you don’t know what other ingredients are in there.”
The federal Food and Drug Administration recently issued a recall for a brand of mushroom gummy called Diamond Shruumz, after the product was linked to illnesses and hospitalizations.
Dougherty said the department has no idea how widespread sales of the drug are in Vermont right now. Vermont Public is aware of retail sales of mushroom gummies at one gas station in Caledonia County.
Dougherty said it’s possible the state will pursue a rulemaking process that would make it illegal to sell or possess products that contain the active compound in Amanita muscaria.
In the meantime, she said the department will work to warn potential consumers about the dangers posed by the product.
“I think educating the public that these things are not regulated and you really don’t know all that is in them,” Dougherty said. “It is a huge problem that they are just out there.”
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