Nearly 80 people have collapsed in a park in the U.S. after suffering overdoses from synthetic marijuana

News24xx.com -  After suffering overdoses from the synthetic marijuana, nearly 80 people have collapsed in the Green, a park in the U.S.

People were seen dropping to the ground unconscious, vomiting and becoming lethargic as they fell ill in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Paramedics and police, social workers and mental health professionals were sent to New Haven Green, which is right next to Yale University.

Synthetic marijuana, called ‘spice’ and other names, usually is plant material sprayed with chemicals or other substances that is sold in small, colourful packets. 

And it has been blamed for other mass overdoses across the country. 

In May, more than 50 people in Brooklyn, New York, overdosed on K2, none fatally.

Green, which the National Park Service says dates back to 1638 is one of the oldest in New England, is a focal point of downtown New Haven. It’s surrounded by parts of Yale University, shops, churches and government buildings, and serves as a hub for area bus service. 

Officials were still trying to determine what exactly made people sick. Toxicology tests remained pending. Doctors said some victims improved after being given the opioid overdose antidote drug naxolone, while others did not. 

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the state departments of Public Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services were helping New Haven officials. He said state health officials delivered 50 doses of naxolone to the city to help replenish its supply.

The city also saw more than a dozen synthetic marijuana overdoses in late January. No deaths were reported in either outbreak.

Now, Green has become ‘a place of despair’ and ‘no longer an attraction for families or economic development.’

 

 

 

 

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