 | Fake marijuana contaminated with rat poison has killed three people in Illinois and caused severe bleeding in more than 100 others. The CDC has alerted doctors nationwide that patients with severe, unexplained bleeding may be additional cases. The CDC is helping Illinois authorities investigate the outbreak in that state.
|  |
 | Illinois reported seven more cases last week, bringing the nationwide total to at least 116. Samples of so-called synthetic marijuana from Illinois have tested positive for a lethal ingredient often used in rat poison.
Symptoms include coughing up blood, blood in the urine, severe bloody noses, bleeding gums and internal bleeding.
Fake marijuana, also called synthetic cannabinoids, contains man-made chemicals that produce a high similar to marijuana. It is sold in smoke shops and other stores as liquids that can be used in e-cigarettes or in dried plant material that can be smoked. Nicknames include K2, Spice and Kush. |
The products are up to 100 times more potent than the active ingredient in marijuana and severe reactions have included seizures, coma and delirium.
