Snortable Chocolate: Risks and Potential Side Effects

July 18, 2017 A new product being marketed as a legal way for people to get high has made its way from Europe to the United States. Orlando-based company Legal Lean recently began selling a snortable form of chocolate called Coco Loko.

The product’s website says it will give users an “endorphin rush” and a “serotonin rush” while simultaneously giving them “calm focus.” The product’s ingredients include cacao powder, taurine and guarana. The latter chemicals are found in many energy drinks.

Snorting drugs or other substances can lead to chronic rhinitis, a condition associated with stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, postnasal drip and cough. The substances can also cause tissue scarring and inflammation if they reach the lungs.

Some people may be willing to accept these risks to get high, but there is no guarantee that Coco Loko actually causes an energy rush or calming feeling.

The YouTube channel Untold Insight, which reviews herbal supplements, reviewed Coco Loko at the request of Legal Lean. The reviewer said he felt a rush of energy, likely caused by B vitamins, guarana and taurine, after snorting a small serving, but he didn’t mention a calming effect.

Verified Amazon reviewers were more skeptical. Many left sarcastic reviews. Others said the experience was similar to drinking a lot of coffee, and most wrote that they didn’t feel euphoria. One reviewer said it was a waste of money.

If Coco Loko does cause an endorphin or serotonin rush, it may have addictive potential. Most addictive drugs manipulate the reward system in the brain by disrupting the balance of neurotransmitters that regulate happiness, such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.

Who Makes Coco Loko?

Coco Loko is marketed by the same company that markets Legal Lean Syrup, which is advertised as a natural supplement “to ease stress and relax the mind.” Lean is a street term for a combination of sprite, codeine cough syrup and Jolly Rancher candy.

Codeine is an opioid than can cause confusion, slow heart rate and severely slowed breathing if consumed in high doses.

Legal Lean Syrup’s label doesn’t list codeine. It lists several B vitamins and a proprietary “calming blend” that includes lavender extract, valerian root extract and kava extract, which is a supplement that has been used to reduce anxiety and stress. However, no studies have verified kava’s safety and effectiveness.

The owner of Legal Lean, Nick Anderson, told CNN that he created Coco Loko after watching YouTube videos of people snorting chocolate in Europe. He said he did not consult a health professional before creating the product.

Anderson and Legal Lean clearly want to avoid any legal liability involving the side effects of the products. The website lists several disclaimers and warnings, including one that says its products “may cause health problems.”

The company warns that its products are not recommended for children or pregnant women, and they may impair a person’s ability to drive a car or operate machinery. It also says that consumers should consult their physician about any supplement they take and that the company’s statements haven’t been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

U.S. Senator Asks FDA to Investigate

Coco Loko’s story made its way from YouTube to Washington D.C., where U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., asked the FDA to investigate Coco Loko because it was being marketed as a drug.

Unlike prescription drugs, supplements may be marketed without FDA approval. But companies are required to ensure that the products follow federal regulations, and the FDA has the authority to take action against misbranded products after they’re released.

In a statement to CNN, the FDA said it was currently unsure if Coco Loko fell under its jurisdiction.

“The math for the FDA is clear: This suspect product has no clear health value,” Schumer said in a statement. “It is falsely held up to be chocolate, when it is a powerful stimulant. And they market it like a drug — and they tell users to take it like a drug, by snorting it.”

The FDA has warned manufacturers of similar products in the past. In 2015, the agency warned five makers of powdered caffeine products because the products presented “a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury to consumers.”

In 2010, Schumer successfully campaigned to ban caffeine in alcoholic beverages. The FDA warned four manufacturers, including the makers of Four Loko and Joose, that caffeine was an unsafe food additive, and the companies stopped making the products that year.

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View Sources

• Amazon. (n.d.). Customer Reviews: Coco Loko Infused Raw Cacao Snuff 1.25 oz Container – No Tobacco – No Nicotine.
• Emanuel, D. (2017, July 12). What to Know About Snortable Chocolate.
• Legal Lean. (n.d.). Coco Loko by Legal Lean.
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• Legal Lean. (n.d.). Legal Lean Act (Grape) Flavor Syrup.
• Mayo Clinic. (2016, January 26). Nonallergic rhinitis. Retrieved from #
• Schumer, C.E. (2017, July 10). Schumer: Dangerous & Snortable Powder — ‘Coko Loko’ — Being Innocently Masked as Everyday ‘Chocolate’ Is About to Hit NY Store Shelves; Kids & Teens at Risk as Docs Cite Very Real Health Concerns; Senator Urges FDA to Immediately Launch an Official Investigation into New Product Before the Damage Is Done. Retrieved from https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-dangerous-and-snortable-powdercoco-lokobeing-innocently-masked-as-everyday-chocolate-is-about-to-hit-ny-store-shelves-kids_teens-at-risk-as-docs-cite-very-real-health-concerns-senator-urges-fda-to-immediately-launch-an-official-investigation-into-new-product-before-the-damage-is-done
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• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2016 April 4). Dietary Supplements. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/food/dietarysupplements/
• Untold Insight. (2017, June 12). Coco Loko Infused Raw Cacao Snuff Review.
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