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Lazy Cakes dangerous for children, school counselor warns

Bill Lackey/Bill Lackey The Original Lazy Cakes Relaxation Brownies.

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By Lawrene Calder Trump, Staff Writer Updated 1:09 AM Friday, February 25, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — A Springfield City Schools counselor sent a warning e-mail to staff Wednesday at the elementary schools that a snack sold at area convenience stores is dangerous for children and could show up in backpacks.

Lazy Cakes, a 2.5-inch square, half-inch thick brownie sold individually for $3 to $4 at some area checkout counters, has enough melatonin in it to put an adult into a deep sleep overnight.

The concentration of the substance is dangerous for small children, warned Horace Mann Elementary School counselor Kamya Dunn.

“Although supposedly for adults, these products are sold with a wrapper that has a cartoon mascot that attracts kids like a Hostess Twinkie character,” Dunn wrote in a “heads-up” e-mail to fellow staffers.

City school district spokeswoman Kim Fish said the district has not had a case of a child being affected by the brownies at school and would turn over to the county health department any reports it finds.

A disclaimer on the mylazycakes.com website says the brownies are for adults only.

“These are not a snack for children. These are meant as a dietary supplement to aid adults who lead a stressful, energy drink-fueled lifestyle to wind down and relax,” said the site, presented by Memphis-based distributor Baked World.

Melatonin, a hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain, helps control sleep and wake cycles. Small amounts of it are found in foods, and a synthetic version is available as a supplement in drugstores.

Adults can take 0.2 to 20 mg for sleep regulation, the medical advice website Webmd.com says. A Lazy Cake is two servings, with 3.9 mg of melatonin per half.

Kaye Kuhn, manager of Dream Merchant pipe and smoke shop at 841 E. Main St., testified to the potency of the brownie.

“I didn’t realize it was two servings and ate a whole one. I fell asleep in 15 minutes,” she said, laughing. The shop is selling “tons of them,” but no one under 18 is allowed in the shop, she said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0353.

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