A timely Public Awareness Drug Alert by UM’s Forensic Analysis Lab, following the discovery of a synthetic hallucinogen inside legally-available edible packets labelled as MDMA and Speed gummies, led to the delisting of the product from an online store.
The alert said the harmful ingredient was not on the list of ingredients, however, there was a certain ease of purchasing the product and having it delivered at home which raised alarms.
In addition, the gummies also contain theobromine (a heart stimulant) and muscimol (a potent psychoactive compound found in certain mushrooms).
A spokesperson for The High Company, the Czech producer of the gummies, stated that the dangerous substance is not typically found in their products. They suggested that the tested sample likely came from a specific batch made to meet a particular customer request. However, the company's website mentions that the gummies contain "a low dosage of our speed recipe," aiming to make the edibles "as close to the real thing as we can get."
Speaking to a local newspaper, the Company said it would be recalling all the products from Malta’s shops and replace with a “newer batch of the original muscimol recipe.