Using synthetic pot “spice” has caused 96 hospitalizations and 2 deaths in Alabama

Alabama Department of Public Health has issued a warning focusing on the dangers of using synthetic marijuana. This measure had been taken after 96 people have been hospitalized along with 2 deaths because of overusing this latest popular drug known as ‘spice.’

According to officials, spice is a fake version of marijuana containing dried plant material sprayed with a mixture of unknown chemicals and synthetic cannabinoids, along with certain pesticides, but more importantly rat poison.

Consuming this drug is considered to induce symptoms of confusion, agitation, lethargy, rapid heart rate, vomiting, nausea and even as bad as kidney and respiratory issues.

The Alabama hospitals had consulted 465 patients from March 15^th to April 20^th who has experienced these symptoms after smoking spice. Officials have also confirmed that in the last 6 months, the people who had been hospitalized due to overuse of spice are individuals aged between 13 to 60 years, with majority of them being males in their 20s and 30s. They had experienced serious injuries, although the effects of it in the long-run are still unknown.

It had been found that the cases involved the consumption of just ‘spice’ or also in combination with other drugs, and the numbers affected have appeared 4 times more this year compared to last year.

Dr Mark Ryan, the director or Louisiana Poison Center, explained, “We had one hospital in the Baton Rouge area that saw over 110 cases in February. That’s a huge spike. There’s a large amount of use going on. When one of these new ingredients — something that’s more potent and gives a bigger high — is released and gets into distribution, it can cause these more extreme effects.”

These findings evidently imply the need for strong law reinforcements to control the use of synthetic marijuana and other such substances which work as hallucinogens when consumed.