Multiple People Hospitalized after Ingesting Synthetic Drug “Spice”

Multiple people in downtown San Diego fell sick after consuming what police believe to be a “bad batch” of synthetic marijuana known as “spice.”

“It’s a manufactured substance and depending on who manufactured it, it could be of different qualities, different strengths,” SDPD Battalion Chief Mike Finnerty told NBC 7 San Diego. “It could be that the current batch that these people are accessing is much stronger than what they are used to or it could have some other unknown chemical in it that’s not normally in it.”

An investigation is taking place into the source of the bad batch of the banned synthetic drug called spice, suspected in more than a dozen overdozes in the East Village, Gaslamp District and Little Italy Sunday afternoon. Alternatives of the synthetic marijuana have resulted in a number of overdoses, and in some cases, death, across the country.

In July, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed to strengthen regulations on spice after thousands of New Yorkers fell sick from eating the drug in the early part of this year. According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the use of synthetic marijuana—and subsequently, overdoses and deaths related to the drug—has increased quite rapidly in the past year.

Officials have reported that 11 medical aid calls were made after an apparent bad batch of spice, a synthetic marijuana, was ingested by a number of individuals in the downtown San Diego region. The aid calls involved at least five juveniles and five adults. It was unknown how the patients received the drug. However, the San Diego Police Department described the packages of spice as blank containers with blue dragons on the side of the package.

The victims reportedly experienced symptoms including bloody noses, seizures, and vomiting. Four people fainted due to an unknown cause while many others reported stumbling and feeling woozy. Some reports have stated the substance in question could have been the synthetic drug spice, though it is unclear how the spice was ingested. Amador told the Los Angeles Times that some of those sickened by the drug had exhibited “extremely odd behavior.” Media reports have said that some people became ill and passed out in the middle of the street. It is still unclear if the patients were given the drugs or if they took it themselves.

San Diego police issued a warning to anyone who may have purchased the synthetic cannabinoid compounds that the type that sickened 13 teens and adults, which included a 13-year-old on Sunday, was sold on downtown streets in a black package with blue dragons on the side. Police and firefighters responded to a number of calls reporting indications including convulsions, vomiting and “extremely odd behavior” in those who had smoked the spice, according to police and fire officials.

Officials warn that spice is not a safe alternative to marijuana. Meanwhile, there is debate on whether even regulated batches of the drug are “safe.” Reports have indicated that some batches create more serious side effects than others.