Two dozen people in Brooklyn landed in a local emergency room after smoking fake pot. Police officers were called to the scene after multiple people complained about bad reactions to synthetic marijuana.
According to police, 25 New Yorkers were rushed to the hospital because of side-effects to the drug. Medics said all patients’ conditions have stabilized and their life is not at risk anymore.
Patients said they used a drug called synthetic marijuana that contains no real marijuana. Fake weed aka K2 is made of plants that are coated in chemicals which can be inhaled with a vaporizer or smoked like real marijuana.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) warns that the side-effects of fake pot can be life-threatening, “unpredictable,” and more dangerous than those of real marijuana.
Fake Pot Can Be Deadly
All 25 patients overdosed on the false drug at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway in a well-known location by the police. Two years ago, more than 30 people experienced adverse side-effects to fake pot in a single day at the same location.
Between July 11 and July 13, 2016, around 100 pot users were rushed to the hospital after using false weed, according to a report by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Earlier this year, the NIH warned pot users in four states including Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Maryland against the dangers of synthetic pot. The most cases related to the drug were reported in Illinois.
In April, more than 100 pot users were taken to the hospital with severe bleeding problems from fake pot laced with a chemical normally used as rat poison. Of those patients, three couldn’t be saved, according to a report by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Image Source: Flickr