Fake Pot Kills 3, Sickens More Than 100, Including In Missouri

MISSOURI — Three people have died and more than 100 have been poisoned in Missouri and four other states after using synthetic marijuana containing a deadly anticoagulant used in rat poison. The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed a man in his 40s died Monday after using the drug. Two men in their 20s have also died from using fake marijuana — also called K2 or "spice."

Most of the deaths and illnesses have been concentrated around Chicago, though public health officials say cases are starting to spread. One case has been confirmed in Missouri, with others in Indiana, Wisconsin and Maryland.

"Each day we've seen the number of cases rise," said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. "Synthetic cannabinoids are unsafe. They are not regulated and people don't know what chemicals may be in them, like rat poison. While efforts are underway to get the contaminated drugs out of circulation, it's possible they could re-emerge. We urge people not to use synthetic cannabinoids — now or ever."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent an alert to doctors and emergency departments across the country last week warning that cases of unexplained bleeding may be related to fake marijuana poisoning. The federal agency says it is coordinating with multiple states to investigate the rash of poisonings, including reviewing calls to poison control centers that may be related.

The first cases were reported on March 7.

Symptoms of fake marijuana poisoning include bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, vomiting blood, coughing up blood, blood in urine or stool, excessively heavy menstrual bleeding, back or side pain, feeling faint and loss of consciousness.

Treatments include using vitamin K to control bleeding. Found naturally in leafy vegetables, vitamin K helps bind together proteins in blood, causing it to clot. The CDC says hospitals may not have enough vitamin K on hand to treat a widespread outbreak, and that treatment can be expensive, costing more than $4,000 a week for a course of treatment that may last months.

The CDC says patients already at risk of bleeding should be informed of the dangers of synthetic marijuana and warned not to use it.

Unlike the real thing, synthetic marijuana is usually legal and can be found in convenience stores, gas stations, novelty stores, and drug paraphernalia shops across the country, as well as online. It is unregulated and, health officials say, often unsafe even when it doesn't contain rat poison. The federal Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act banned many forms of fake marijuana in 2011, but according to the CDC, producers changed their products' names and began using slightly different ingredients, labeling them "not for human consumption," to skirt the law.

Photo Illustration: Two forms of synthetic marijuana as they were packaged and sold in 2015. (Spencer Platt/News/Getty Images)