MA mayor wants relaxation brownie off shelves

BOSTON -- It looks like a simple snack cake, but the brownie inside the wrapper is causing quite the battle.

The product's name is Lazy Cakes and the makers sell it as a relaxation brownie. But a Massachusetts mayor wants the sweet off store shelves.

"This is candy with a drug in it," said Dr. Caroline Apovian, Boston Medical Center.

They’re called Lazy Cakes - brownies designed to help adults chill out.

Mixed in with the chocolate is the sleep aid melatonin - that's the hormone your body makes to help you sleep.

But the amount of melatonin that helps adults relax can be potentially dangerous for kids.

"An adult dosage of melatonin could be extremely detrimental in a child and cause drowsiness and fatigue. It’s as if you're giving your child a Valium," said Apovian.

So you'd think these sweet snacks would be kept out of reach for kids - right?

But in store after store in Boston and around the state, 7NEWS found Lazy Cakes right out where children could grab them.

Next to candy bars in one shop, and right near the cookies in another store.

The mayor of Fall River wants to ban the sale of Lazy Cakes in his city.

He says the relaxation brownie is marketed toward young people.

"Even though the products says it’s not intended for children's use, its psychedelic packaging and its cartoon character known as “lazy Larry” indicate otherwise," said Mayor William Flanagan, Fall River.

The company that makes Lazy Cakes told 7NEWS their brownies "include items that anyone can purchase at any health food or vitamin store."

And the company does "recommend that lazy cakes be enjoyed by adults only."

You can see pretty clearly on the brownies the label reads "for adults only: not suitable for children."

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