33 taken to hospital after mass ‘synthetic cannabis’ overdose on New York street

More than 30 people became ill in an apparent mass drug overdose on a New York City street corner, sparking warnings from police and health chiefs. They were taken to hospital after using synthetic cannabis K2 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Victims were seen lying on the pavement, shaking and leaning against trees and fire hydrants. In all, 33 people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

It’s gotten out of hand. They even sleep in the street, we have to walk around them. It’s just too much to keep under control.

Resident Dennis Gonzalez

The city’s health department said it “recorded a spike in K2-related emergency room visits” connected to the incident in Brooklyn. It added that it was investigating and monitoring casualty departments across the city. “We remind New Yorkers that K2 is extremely dangerous,” the department said in a statement. K2 can cause extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, vomiting, fainting, kidney failure and reduced blood supply to the heart. The production and sale of the drug was outlawed in New York City last October.

The city’s public awareness efforts and aggressive enforcement actions over the past year have contributed to a significant decline in ER visits related to K2

New York health department

k2 overdose