Synthetic pot, K2, sends 33 people to Brooklyn hospitals
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Thirty-three people suspected of overdosing on K2, a type of synthetic marijuana, collapsed on the sidewalk in Brooklyn over an 11 hour period on Tuesday, said Det. Ahmed Nasser of the New York City Police Office of the Deputy Commissioner.
Beginning around 9:30 a.m. and lasting until 8:20 p.m. that evening, Emergency Medical Services of the New York City Fire Department picked up victims around Stockton Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and transported them to local hospitals, including Interfaith Medical Center, Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn Hospital Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
Emergency calls were placed by observers of the strange scene. Patients suffered respiratory problems and possible altered mental states, said Frank Dwyer, a spokesman for the fire department. Because the fire department does not test for drugs, it cannot confirm an overdose.
“All 14 patients that came in yesterday have been discharged,” said Lynn Schulman, a spokesperson for Woodhull. “They all had a similar symptom of lethargy, were monitored and then released.” The other hospitals could not be reached, though Nasser said “victims are not likely to die from this at this time.”
Because the collapsed victims were lying near to each other, it is believed the suspected overdoses are related, said New York police Lt. Thomas Antonetti. No arrests have been made, said Antonetti, who could not explain the underlying reason for this mass reaction. Finding the cause and, if necessary, the drug will be part of the ongoing investigation, he said.
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