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WHITE OAK, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration, as the name suggests, is supposed to police the United States’ food and drug supply.

But there are still illegal products available for easy purchase at gas stations and convenience stores all over the country — including in the FDA’s own backyard. We know, we bought them.

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Some of the products STAT found around the FDA’s suburban Maryland campus are outright dangerous, like an unapproved cough medicine linked to childrens’ deaths. Others, like CBD gummies and vapes, have become ubiquitous at convenience stores, but are still illegal nonetheless.

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