Investigating Snortable Cacao Powder

Chocoholics no longer have to eat chocolate to get their cocoa fix.

Legal Lean, an Orlando, Fla.-based supplements company, introduced Coco Loko, raw, powdered cacao that can be snorted through the nose. The product, available in 1.25-ounce canisters, is infused with energy-giving ingredients and marketed toward party-goers, according to Legal Lean’s website.

Coco Loko has caught the attention of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, who has campaigned against caffeine-infused alcoholic drinks. Citing concerns of doctors and parents, the New York-based senator on Monday called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch an investigation into the product.

“This suspect product has no clear health value,” Schumer said in a press release. “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. It is crystal clear that the FDA needs to wake up and launch a formal investigation into so-called Coco Loko before too many of our young people are damaged by it.”

Schumer’s office said the product contains caffeine, guarana and taurine — ingredients often found in energy drinks. Legal Lean’s description does not list specific energy-giving ingredients nor their content levels.

The press release also noted Legal Lean, founded by Nick Anderson, did not consult with medical professionals while creating the product.