The number of Georgians sickened by Diamond Shruumz microdosing candies has reached at least 20, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Among those, eight were so sick they had to go to the hospital, and three needed to be put on breathing machines.
It’s unclear whether the now-recalled Diamond Shruumz treats are still available on store shelves, but consumers or sellers who have them are urged not to use them.
People who ate the candies have reported symptoms including hallucinations, uncontrolled movements, fast or slow heart rate, high or low blood pressure, flushed skin and gastrointestinal effects such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. They also included seizures, loss of consciousness, confusion and respiratory failure.
The number of confirmed cases have climbed as public health investigators make their way through case files to see which reports of consumers’ sicknesses, hospitalizations and deaths can be confirmed from the records as related to or caused by the person taking Diamond Shruumz. A spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Public Health, Nancy Nydam, said it has been nearly three weeks since the state learned of any new Diamond Shruumz sickness report in Georgia.
Researchers at UVA Health, at the University of Virginia, found that some Diamond Shruumz samples studied there contained a psychedelic substance that they weren’t supposed to. UVA Health studied the treats after the hospital system treated patients who ate them, including a three-year-old child.
Nationally, the Food and Drug Administration last week increased the number of cases under investigation to 74, including 38 hospitalizations and two deaths. The numbers have increased since then according to local officials, but the FDA on Monday would not confirm an updated number.
The FDA would not say Monday where that second death occurred, and Georgia officials would not confirm whether any suspected deaths were among the cases that are still under investigation in the state.
The Diamond Shruumz website said it limited purchasers of the candies to those 21 and above.
Diamond Shruumz are no longer legal to sell in any form, after the FDA linked the products to sickness in people who took them and issued a recall. According to the FDA, on July 16 recalled Diamond Shruumz-brand products were still available for sale at some smoke/vape shops, and at retailers that sell hemp-derived products such as cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC).
Nydam, of Georgia DPH, said the state has worked with the Georgia Association of Convenience Stores and the Georgia Vape Alliance to share the information about the recall and state epidemiologists have individually called stores and distributors that were registered sellers. One was not yet aware of the recall.
“Based on what we have heard, most stores have removed the products from shelves,” Nydam said.
In addition, the products were sold to people online in boxes, so people may still have them at home.
The Diamond Shruumz brand was sold by the company Prophet Premium Blends.
Diamond Shruumz said on its website that its products were made legally, but that some wound up containing “higher ... than normal” amounts of muscimol, a psychoactive substance that comes from some mushrooms.
But the UVA Health researchers also found psilocin, a U.S. DEA Schedule I controlled substance, in the candies. It was not listed as an ingredient.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to note that DPH Spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said that since the last report of a Diamond Shruumz-related illness it has been nearly three weeks, not at least three weeks.
Diamond Shruumz recall
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recalled all Diamond Shruumz products, and the brand’s maker, Prophet Premium Blends, said production has ceased.
- If any Diamond Shruumz products are still lying around, they should not be consumed.
- For retailers and consumer purchasers, the company says on its website it is offering refunds.
- For consumers who believe they got ill because of consuming the product, public health researchers want to know. They or their medical professional can call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.
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