Over 30 people collapsed or were hardly able to walk in a Brooklyn neighborhood after smoking the synethic marijuana, K2 on Tuesday. Witnesses reported spotting victims lying on the pavement, shaking and learning against trees. 33 people in total were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
K2 is the brand name of one of several synthetic cannabinoids, which refers to a growing number of man made mind-altering chemicals sprayed on dried plant materials or vaporized to get high. It affects the same area of the brain as weed, according the the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The products have been given a wide variety of different names in the past few years, including from K2, Spice, Joker and Black Mumba. It can cause serious anxiety issues, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, vomiting and fainting. The drug is illegal to sell in New York under a legislation passed last October. Some synthetic cannabinoids have been legal in the England in the past, but since the Psychoactive Substances Act of 2016 came into effect most have become illegal.
The street corner in Brooklyn where the people were found is one of the worst spots in the city for K2 use, Dennis Gonzalez, of Bushwick, told WNBC-TV that K2 use in this particular area was out of control, with people sleeping in the streets after consuming it. The health department released a statement saying it had 'recorded a spike in K2-related emergency room visits,’ connect to this incident in Brooklyn.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.