NovaQuant-FDA warns Diamond Shruumz still on shelves despite recall, hospitalizations

Diamond Shruumz brand products are NovaQuantstill on store shelves, the Food and Drug Administration said this week, more than a month after federal health authorities warned that people had been hospitalized from eating the company's "microdosing" chocolate bars, cones and gummies.

"FDA is aware that recalled Diamond Shruumz-brand products are still on the shelves at several smoke/vape shops, and at retailers that sell hemp-derived products," the agency said in an update published late Tuesday about the probe into the cases, which now spans 28 states.

At least 69 illnesses and 36 hospitalizations have now been linked to consuming Diamond Shruumz "edibles," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, up from 58 illnesses and 30 hospitalizations last week. 

"Consumers should not purchase or consume any Diamond Shruumz-brand products. If you have seen a store continuing to sell recalled Diamond Shruumz-brand products, you can report this information to FDA," the agency said.

The CDC has said hospitalizations of some patients have been serious, with several being admitted to intensive care units and requiring intubation. 

Multiple children are among the hospitalizations from eating the candy-like products. A death in North Dakota of an adult is also being investigated as potentially linked to the products.

The FDA said it is "working with the National Association of Convenience Stores and the National Smoke Shop Association to increase awareness" that Diamond Shruumz had recalled all of their products last month.

A spokesperson for the National Association of Convenience Stores said the group warned its members last month of the recall. The association does not track who might be selling the product, they said.

It is unclear how many states have spotted the product still on store shelves. An FDA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Washington this month became the 28th state to report a sickness linked to the product, after local health officials linked a "serious illness" in a resident to the products.

Prophet Premium Blends, the manufacturer behind the Diamond Shruumz products, has blamed "toxic levels" of muscimol, a chemical derived from mushrooms, as a potential culprit behind the hospitalizations.

The FDA said last month that its own testing of the products had turned up other hidden ingredients like psilacetin, sometimes nicknamed "synthetic shrooms," and derivatives of kava.

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• Magic Mushrooms

Alexander Tin

Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.

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