Marley’s Mellow Mood is a beverage that promises – in all caps, on each bottle — to reduce stress and relieve tension. The product’s namesake, Bob Marley, is a Reggae legend who used marijuana like a sacrament. The colors of the glass and aluminum packaging evoke a Rasta flag.
The nutrition facts on the back of each bottle warn that the refreshment — one of several anti-energy drinks currently on the market around the country — isn’t intended for children (or nursing or pregnant women).
In retrospect, then, perhaps it wasn’t the brightest idea for a middle school to sell Marley’s Mellow Mood in its cafeteria. However, that’s exactly what happened at William R. Satz School in Holmdel, N.J., according to CBS News.
On Friday, some students who purchased the drink and consumed it later reported — shockingly enough — drowsiness.
“It was like a zombiefest,” one student told WNYW.
In addition to feeling overly tired, students threw up, felt dizzy, had severe headaches and had higher-than-normal heart rates.
Marley’s Mellow Mood contains valerian root, lemon balm, passion flower, hops and chamomile. All of these ingredients are believed by herbal enthusiasts to possess sedative properties.
As WNYW notes, the label states: “The all natural botanical ingredients in this product have been specially blended to mellow your mood, and may cause drowsiness. Best enjoyed when you are ready to relax.”
The offending beverage has since been removed from all schools that were selling it, according to CBS News. The on-site manager at the middle school has also been removed, pending an investigation.
Chartwells School Dining Services, the company that provides victuals at the middle school, issued a statement obtained by WNYW that said, “We were informed that Marley’s was a new product that did not go through the approval process required for all new products.”
Marley’s Mellow Mood is made and distributed by Marley Beverage Company in a joint partnership with VIVA Beverages out of Southfield, Michigan. Flavors include berry, citrus and green tea with honey.