(Courtesy of San Diego County Sheriff’s Office via CNN Newsource) SAN DIEGO, Calif. (WKRC) – Police warned potential customers looking for a light buzz that they could get more than they bargained for with a brand of mushroom-infused chocolate bars.
PolkaDot is a candy brand that sells mushroom-infused chocolate bars utilizing "science-back functional mushrooms" like Turkey Tail, Lions Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps, according to the company’s website .
The chocolate isn’t intended to induce the psychedelic effects associated with magic mushrooms, but rather improve health and focus.
Some ne’er-do-wells have taken advantage of the drug-adjacent customer base in the past to create counterfeit PolkaDot chocolate bars that contained actual magic mushrooms, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, leading to the department keeping a close eye on the over-the-counter sale of the candies throughout California.
Recently, the department tested various PolkaDot branded bars from smoke shops around the area and found amanita muscaria , a cartoonish-looking red and white spotted mushroom that can induce hallucinations but can also be toxic. Additionally, the California Department of Public Health said they found an additional synthetic psychoactive drug in the candy, according to The Desert Sun .
According to the department, this specific mistake seems to be from the PolkaDot company itself, and the bars were allegedly distributed to smoke shops and through the company’s website.
Authorities said $3 million worth of the recalled bars (95,000 bars weighing over seven tons) have been voluntarily destroyed by the company.
The California Department of Public Health said no illnesses have been reported yet, but urges all future customers to be extremely careful when indulging in "mushroom infused" goods.
Sugar high: Police seize $3 million worth of chocolate laced with psychedelic mushrooms
