According to the New York City Health Department, more than 120 people were rushed to the emergency room due to the adverse effects associated with synthetic marijuana use. Health officials said most of the visits happened from April 8 to 15, reports Pierce Pioneer.
On April 6, two Mississippi brothers were placed on medically induced coma after smoking a 'bad batch' of synthetic marijuana. Last year, it caused a death of one teenager in California.
"Synthetic drugs are anything but harmless, and this rash of severe health emergencies across the state is direct proof," Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.
"We banned synthetic marijuana, bath salts and similar substances to avoid the disastrous results that occur - and as law enforcement and health officials continue to crack down on the use and sale of these drugs in New York, we are today issuing a health alert as a warning amidst this surge in hospitalizations."
Synthetic marijuana or 'spice' is an herbal product which is sprayed with potent chemicals. These are banned products and are labeled as Schedule 1 drug since 2010. Schedule 1 drugs, as defined by the DEA, are chemicals or compounds which are not approved due to the risks they possess to the users.
Often, many false marketing would claim the product to have natural or organic psychoactive ingredients but studies claim most of them contain synthetic cannabinoids. Adverse effects include rpid heart rate, vomiting, agitation, confusion, and hallucinations, reports Drugabuse.gov.
Forbes reports that it still unclear if the substance that caused the adverse effects is the old one or a new potent synthetic cannabinoid. For those individuals who use other drugs like heroine in conjunction with synthetic marijuana predisposes themselves to sudden increase of high blood pressure that may lead to fatal arrhythmias, strokes and even heart attacks.