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Health alert regarding synthetic marijuana

Posted at 12:34 PM, Apr 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-06 10:15:17-04

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is alerting Michiganders about cases of synthetic marijuana that is making people sick.

There are 70 cases of uncontrolled bleeding being reported in the last month in Illinois. This includes 60 hospitalizations and two deaths.

They suspect this is due to synthetic marijuana containing brodifacoum.

They say Brodifacoum is an off-white, odorless powder poison, first introduced in 1975 to eliminate rodents and is one of the most widely used pesticides around the world.

“While public health officials in Michigan have not been made aware of any cases to date, the fact Illinois is a neighboring state gives us cause for concern,” said Dr. Eden Wells, MDHHS chief medical executive. “We are urging anyone who has a reaction to synthetic marijuana, such as severe bleeding, to call 911 or have someone take them to the emergency department immediately.”

They say "Synthetic marijuana is a humanmade, mind-altering chemical that is either sprayed on dried, shredded plant material to be smoked or sold as liquids to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes and other devices. Also known as fake weed, it is sold for recreational drug use under brand names such as K2, Spice, Black Mamba, Bombay Blue, Genie, Zohai and others."

According to the MDHHS, when correctly identified, cases can be treated with doses of vitamin K.