There are certain realities in our world today. Here are two of them: people, especially females, love chocolate and many young people are looking for a new way to get high.
So, the obvious thing for an aspiring entrepreneur to do is conflate the two.
Coco Loko is a caffeine-laced inhalable chocolate product that promises to provide users with the ultimate drug-free high in the form of euphoric energy, calm focus, and a rush of endorphins and serotonin.
It contains gingko biloba, taurine and guarana, ingredients commonly found in energy drinks. Unfortunately, a complete list of the ingredients is not available, so it is anyone’s guess what else it contains.
Although marketed in Europe for a few years, only recently has it made its way to America.
There remains a couple of troubling issues with this product. First, it has not been approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and second, its exclusive root of administration is through the nose.
Regarding the first issue, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has requested that the FDA look into this product. Although it is being marketed to consumers as raw cacao, he and many others are concerned that it is being used as an easy means for getting high. The company’s target audience appears to be school-age kids.
To date, the FDA has claimed that it is not prepared to issue a determination regarding this product due to jurisdictional issues. Regrettably, many supplements are not regulated by the FDA. This is a problem because “herbal” medications and “vitamins” often have possible drug interactions with prescription medications. These can be potentially life threatening if not disclosed to a doctor.
Regarding the second concern, this product is snorted, which does beg the question “How can they possibly refer to Coco Loko as a food product?” The nose, like many other components of the human body such as the heart, ears or eyes, has a specific purpose. It exists to bring life-affirming oxygen into the body. Additionally, nasal passages are fragile, exposing the lining of the nose to a chocolate powder can result in infection, nose bleeds, and in the worst case scenario, actual destruction of nasal tissue. Considering that the high only lasts between 30 minutes to one hour, the possibility of damage due to repeated use is very real.
Much more needs to be known about this product; until that time, we strongly encourage people to continue to consume and enjoy chocolate the old fashion way…by actually eating it.
