MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Health warning issued about use of synthetic marijuana

Suzanne Russell
@SRussellMyCJ

SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Police and emergency medical services personnel on Tuesday responded to a home where a 22-year-old woman was found on the ground shaking uncontrollably.

Friends said the woman had been smoking synthetic marijuana. Members of the Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad transported the woman to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment.

The woman is among those who apparently suffered an adverse reaction to synthetic marijuana.

Police said the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System has issued an alert for a "Street Drug" causing life-threatening reactions. The agency, along with state health officials, are warning people not to use products sold as synthetic marijuana, often called spice, k2, etc.

According to the state Poison Information and Education System, in the past week, there have been about 30 people admitted to New Jersey hospitals and many more in New York suffering the consequences of using these products. The cause is not known, but people have suffered severe agitation, seizures, renal failure and other life-threatening reactions.

The large increase in overdose cases in New Jersey mirrors recent activity in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, where more than 39 cases have been reported in the past week. Lehigh County officials indicate that some of the patients had various degrees of intoxication that resulted in at least one being intubated.

In some cases, patients have shown aggressive behavior toward police officers and emergency medical services personnel, according to the poison information and education system.

Health officials want parents and community members to be aware of the dangers of these substances. Additional information may be obtained by contacting a poison expert at 800-222-1222.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com