70 Cases of Severe Bleeding in Illinois Linked to Synthetic Marijuana Use

Spreading misinformation can be truly harmful when it comes to promoting or advocating against something like medical or recreational drugs. Those that continue to spread lies and inaccuracies about cannabis are not just turning people away from cannabis but they could also be turning them towards products that are actually dangerous like spice, or synthetic marijuana. Products like K2 and spice that are sold as "synthetic marijuana" are nothing of the sort and do not represent cannabis in any way, however when people see it being sold in convenience stores and gas stations they assume the product is legal and safe, but they couldn't be more wrong. These "synthetic marijuana" products are causing an increasing rate of hospitalizations due to internal bleeding and even causing some to die. Illinois officials urge anyone who is experiencing even mild blood loss and has consumed synthetic marijuana in the last week to go to the emergency room for treatment immediately. While these drugs are made to appear legal the manufacturers are only able to continue sales by swapping out the ingredients made illegal with each new outrage. It's important to keep people of all ages informed that spice products are not safe, legal, and they are not a proper alternative to medical or recreational cannabis.

Often sold as Spice, K2 or fake weed, synthetic cannabinoids are man-made chemicals that act on the same brain cell receptors as the main active ingredient in marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drugs are not regulated and a steady flow of new ones, with unknown health risks, become available each year. They can be smoked, ingested or mixed into liquids for e-cigarette use.

“We know that there’s a batch of this product that’s very unsafe, potentially life-threatening and we don’t want people experimenting with them,” said Chicago Department of Public Health Chief Medical Officer Allison Arwady.