56 cases of severe bleeding, including two deaths, across areas in central Illinois have been linked to the use of synthetic cannabinoids. Synthetic cannabinoids, or fake weed, are human-made chemicals that can either be smoked or inhaled as vaporized liquids through an e-cigarette. These chemicals are similar to the chemicals found in marijuana, though the side effects they can cause are more dangerous. A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2016 found that a synthetic cannabinoid was 85 times as strong as THC, the mind-altering chemical in marijuana.
The side effects of the cannabinoids include a rapid heart rate, vomiting, confusion and hallucinations, according to the Center for Disease Control. Dr. Patrick Lank, an emergency physician and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois expanded the list of serious risks. “They include things like seizures, heart attack, kidney failure,” said Lank. “What’s happening in Illinois is different, and these are bleeding complications. Why they’re happening? We’re still uncertain,” he said. “We don’t know if the supply of synthetic cannabinoids in Illinois and the Chicago area have been tainted by someone with brodifacoum, or rat poison. Or if this is potentially a new side effect of a new synthetic cannabinoid.”
One of the newest side effects of these drugs is the bleeding occurring in patients. Coughing up blood, blood in the urine, bloody nose, bleeding gums and other symptoms were all reported by those hospitalized. Nine of the 56 cases tested positive for rat poison, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday. Officials are not aware of what caused the drug contamination or how it spread so quickly.”This is the first time we’ve seen an outbreak of this magnitude in the area,” Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said Monday. “We’re working with numerous different partners across the city and state as we investigate this outbreak,” she said.
All of the reported cases occurred throughout Illinois- primarily in Chicago and surrounding areas. However, this isn’t the first time an outbreak of health problems tied to synthetic cannabinoid arose. Last year, 102 people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, overdosed on synthetic marijuana within three days. None of those cases were fatal. In 2016, 33 people in Brooklyn were made ill from suspected overdoses of synthetic pot. The amount of reported illnesses from synthetic cannabinoids has sharply increased since 2010 and are expected to continue to rise based on information from The Center for Disease Control.
