A “mass overdose” on a New York City street corner has left more than 30 people in hospital, sparking warnings from police and health chiefs.
Witnesses reported seeing people lying on the pavements of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, shaking and leaning against trees, yesterday morning.
It is thought some of the victims had been smoking K2 – known as a synthetic form of marijuana made illegal in the state last year.
Brooklyn resident, Dennis Gonzalez, told WNBC-TV that K2 use in that part of the borough was out of control.
"It's gotten out of hand," he said. "They even sleep in the street, we have to walk around them. It's just too much to keep under control."
NYC Police confirmed 33 people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the US Health Department said it "recorded a spike in K2-related emergency room visits" connected to the incident in Brooklyn. It issued a statement reminding residents of the "extreme danger" of the drug.
K2 affects the same part of the brain as marijuana, but contains chemicals made in labs which are then sprayed onto the dried leaves.
It can cause anxiety, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, vomiting, fainting, kidney failure and reduced blood supply to the heart.
