Illinois is facing an outbreak of residents experiencing severe poisoning symptoms and bleeding episodes after using synthetic marijuana. A 4th person was killed by fake pot in central Illinois, authorities announced.
According to the state’s Department of Public Health, the victim is a 30-year-old woman living in the center of the state. So far, over 150 pot users in a dozen of counties had landed in the ER because of the use of synthetic marijuana contaminated with rat poison.
- The victims’ most common symptoms included severe nose bleeding, coughing blood, internal bleeding, and bleeding gums.
- Authorities explained that the brand of cannabis they used contained an ingredient often used in rat poison, brodifacoum.
Brodifacoum is behind the severe bleeding those people have experienced.
We continue to see new cases of individuals experiencing severe bleeding after using synthetic cannabinoids,
public health department chief Nirav D. Shah told the press.
Fake Pot Highly Addictive
Dr. Shah explained that synthetic pot is highly addictive just like other types of marijuana and people find it impossible to quit. What’s more, many pot users believe that they won’t have any health problems as they trust their dealer.
In central Illinois, fake pot killed two more people. The victims were two men who used the drug called “K2” or “spice,” the health department announced. One of the victims was in his 20s.
Late last month, a 22-year-old man from Southwest Side couldn’t be saved by the doctors at Christ Medical Center. He had been taken to the hospital after vomiting and having a seizure, according to local police. The necropsy report revealed that he died from “excessive internal bleeding.” He had high levels of brodifacoum in his bloodstream.
The IDPH recommends high doses of vitamin K – up to 30 pills – for up to half a year to help the blood regain its ability to clot.
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