#13,244
Today the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has added 11 more confirmed and/or suspected cases of severe bleeding linked to the recreational use of tainted Spice/K2 and has provided a new chart, breaking down cases by age range.
Somewhat surprisingly (to me, at least), 80% of cases (where the age is known) are 25 years of age or older.
Synthetic Cannabinoids
As of April 4, 2018, IDPH has received reports of 81 cases, including two deaths, linked to an outbreak, since March 7, 2018; cases report using synthetic cannabinoid products before suffering from severe bleeding.
***Numbers are provisional and subject to change; IDPH will update the website every weekday at 1:30pm, for the duration of the outbreak***
While many of the cases report acquiring the synthetic cannabinoid products in the Chicagoland area, contaminated products could be in counties across the state. Individuals reported obtaining synthetic cannabinoid products (i.e., K2, spice, synthetic marijuana, and legal weed) from convenience stores, dealers, and friends.
If you have purchased any of this product in the past month, do not use it. If you have used any of these products, and start experiencing severe, unexplained bleeding or bruising, please have someone take you to the hospital immediately or call 911. Do not walk or drive yourself. Tell your health care providers about the possible link between your symptoms and synthetic cannabinoid use.
(Continue . . . )
