{"id":2096,"date":"2011-05-29T21:50:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-29T21:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/relaxation-brownies-does-the-fda-need-to-step-in.html"},"modified":"2016-09-21T09:09:48","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T13:09:48","slug":"relaxation-brownies-does-the-fda-need-to-step-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2096","title":{"rendered":"“relaxation\u2019 brownies”? Does the FDA need to step in?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

Great question. One sitting US Senator thinks so. Senator Dick Durbin is urging the FDA to take a stand. <\/span>

<\/span>
Hash brownies are one thing … but what are “relaxation brownies”? They are brownies laced with melatonin. This is a totally slippery slope because m<\/span>elatonin supplements are widely marketed to promote sleep and can be bought over the counter in the United States. <\/span>

<\/span>
Melatonin-containing brownies and cakes, under brand names like Lazy Cakes, Kush Cakes and Lulla Pies, have made headlines in the past week, with two Massachusetts mayors calling for the products to be banned. They claim that the products appeal to children, even though Lazy Cakes\u2019 website explicitly says that the brownies are intended for adults only.<\/span>

<\/span>
What’s the problem?<\/b><\/span>
Dietary supplements do not need to establish evidence of their products\u2019 safety and effectiveness or require pre-market approval. Not at all. Nothing. Honestly, you could be buying anything<\/i>!<\/span>

<\/span>
So, to then put that in a food product crosses a line, because that food product actually does have to be shown to be safe. The people who make the supplements infer that — because melatonin is sold in pills, it should also be able to be sold in foods. <\/span>

<\/span>
That’s what Sen Durbin got all up in arms: <\/b><\/span>
In a letter to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, Durbin wrote: \u201cThe website for Lazy Cakes claims their product is, \u2018a delicious, chocolate alternative to medication and harmful narcotics to help you safely relax and fall asleep.\u2019 These products appear to be promoting themselves as therapeutic alternatives to medications. As such, the products may be marketed in ways that are inconsistent with federal law.\u201d”<\/span>

<\/span>
Senator Durbin urges FDA action on \u2018relaxation\u2019 brownies<\/a>: <\/span>

<\/span>
\"Will<\/a>\"Will<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Great question. One sitting US Senator thinks so. Senator Dick Durbin is urging the FDA to take a stand. Hash brownies are one thing … but what are “relaxation brownies”? They … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494,349,256],"tags":[367],"class_list":["post-2096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-food-safety","category-supplements","tag-melatonin"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-xO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2704,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2704","url_meta":{"origin":2096,"position":0},"title":"Chlorinated Brownies","author":"Will Clower","date":"September 21, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"My daughter was asking about making brownies for a bake sale at her school (a public high school), and was told that she certainly could. Great!!Oh, as long as you make them with chlorinate sugar (a.k.a., Splenda). The cafeteria had gone over their limit in the amount of sugar they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":307,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=307","url_meta":{"origin":2096,"position":1},"title":"Dark Chocolate, Walnut Brownies","author":"Will Clower","date":"November 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"You\u2019ll Need 1 1\/4 cups sugar \u00bc cup cocoa \u00bd chopped walnuts 1 \u00bd teaspoons finely ground coffee 1 cup flour \u00be teaspoon baking powder \u00bd teaspoon salt \u00bc cup chopped bittersweet chocolate 3 eggs, slightly beaten \u00bd cup melted butter Directions In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Recipes"","block_context":{"text":"Recipes","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=380"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2249,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2249","url_meta":{"origin":2096,"position":2},"title":"Mixing THESE Pills Can Be Bad For Your Heart","author":"Will Clower","date":"November 25, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0All these pills we take. But what happens inside your body when they mix?? What happens when these chemicals combine to form unexpected effects?\u00a0(Please share this article with your friends.)What kind of pills should I be worried about?\u00a0The popular\u00a0blood-thinning drug, warfarin,\u00a0is taken by heart patients. But those same patients often\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/TO0OALK0-XI\/AAAAAAAACys\/614vC9uPsY8\/s320\/pills.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4472,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=4472","url_meta":{"origin":2096,"position":3},"title":"Taking Supplements Is Like Charlie Brown Trying To Kick The Football … Again.","author":"Will Clower","date":"September 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"FDA investigating high lead levels in supplements.\u00a0 Here's a quote; \"I'm so surprised that there are high lead levels in dietary\u00a0supplements taken for better health,\" said no one ever. How many reports have to come out about the irrelevance or outright harm that they can do? It doesn't really seem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"All bottles of Chicago-based Ton Shen Health's Life Rising DHZC-2 tablets were recalled last week after the FDA identified elevated levels of lead in product samples. 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