Paramedics had their hands full more than usual this Independence Day in the States as synthetic marijuana overdoses plagued New Haven, Connecticut.
Officials in New Haven reported that the city experienced 14 synthetic marijuana overdoses on July 4th. "We had a spat of cannabis-laced product that caused 11 overdoses in a short period, and then we had an additional three over another two to three hour period," said the director of New Haven Emergency Operations, Rick Fontana.
Strange Side Effects
Many of the overdose victims showed strange and erratic behavior when the paramedics arrived, Fontana said. Some of the patients being treated appeared to be non-responsive immediately but ended up being responsive upon further checks. Some of the individuals showed strange behavior by "banging into the ground" and were strung out just lying on the ground in various places.
Most of the 14 overdoses occurred in a city park known as New Haven Green. There were additional calls for Edgerton Park. Fontana told the press that most of the individuals who overdosed were middle-aged and elderly.
K2
The culprit of the overdose is called K2, and it's a synthetic marijuana that all of them apparently smoked. The individuals that overdosed gave it the name K2, and that's now what authorities are calling it.
The authorities recovered some of this 'K2' and said it resembled granola and was not commercially packaged.
A heat wave took over the East Coast around the same time, so authorities are considering that some of the individuals may have experienced dehydration as well. This could have exacerbated the symptoms of the synthetic marijuana, but most of the individuals transported were not admitted.
Authorities are asking that if you come across the substance to please call the local authorities with any information you may have on its original whereabouts.
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