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By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, [email protected]
Synthetic marijuana, also known as K2, might allow someone to pass a urine test, but Washington, D.C. is asking is that worth risking death?
With four District residents dead after using synthetic marijuana and about 140 falling sick, officials are attributing the epidemic to a bad batch of K2, according to Fox 5 News.
Fox 5 reporter, Lindsay Watts tweeted, “Firefighter tells me K2 calls have been almost nonstop today. Man is out cold at E & 4th [streets] Nw.”
The side effects of K2 can include walking around in a zombie like state. “Have seen a few people walking around like zombies, totally out of it,” Watts wrote.
Another Fox 5 reporter on the scene, Van Applegate, said people were “dropping like flies all day,” because of the bad K2.
RIGHT NOW: It’s like a scene out of the walking dead. A block from the @DCPoliceDept station, several people are dropping like flies all day from what’s being called by first responders, “bad K2”. https://t.co/yc5r3SuMaz @LindsayAWatts pic.twitter.com/pJbiQwKoyk
— Van Applegate (@vbagate) July 19, 2018
Officials say many of the suspected overdoses have taken place near the CCNV homeless shelter at 2nd and D Streets, near the D.C. police headquarters.
Besides it being a possible bad batch of synthetic marijuana, fire officials said dehydration from the summer heat can contribute to K2 overdoes
“You will see people that are unconscious, people that are vomiting, people that are collapsing or maybe being overly aggressive – those are signs that they may be impacted or under the influence,” D.C. Fire and EMS Chief Gregory Dean said to Fox 5 News.
With the uptick in sicknesses and deaths, several city agencies, like the police and fire departments, Department of Human Services and Department of Behavioral Health are working with shelters to help prevent this issue.
“Anytime you have an increase, it has an impact. So we, the city agencies, are collaborating together to address this impact,” said Dean.
One way city agencies are bringing awareness to the epidemic is through an “Emergency Alert” flier with information about K2 and drug addiction resources.
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