With 25 people hospitalized Saturday night after using synthetic weed, New York police are on the hunt for the “runner” they believe is responsible for selling the dangerous and potentially deadly drug. For the residents of Brooklyn, where the overdoses occurred, synthetic cannabis has become a real menace. But even though selling the drug, often under the name “K2” or “Spice,” is illegal, police have had little success clamping down on its distribution.
Brooklyn Neighborhood Besieged By Synthetic Cannabis
Throughout the country, synthetic marijuana overdoses are a recurring problem. But tackling the issue poses a problem for law enforcement, despite the illegality of selling synthetic cannabis.
And the Brooklyn street corner where more than two dozen people overdosed on the drug Saturday seems to be a flashpoint for the synthetic marijuana problem.
On the corner of Broadway and Myrtle, neighborhood residents say synthetic marijuana overdoses happen almost daily. And at 7:30 pm on Saturday night, residents watched as a steady stream of ambulances arrived to treat people who had smoked the drug.
Over several hours, paramedics treated overdose victims on site before taking 25 of them to the hospital. Officials say all 25 patients will survive.
Saturday’s scene was a replay of a nearly identical incident at the exact same location in 2016 when 33 people were hospitalized due to synthetic cannabis use.
After that incident, residents recall police were a common fixture for a few weeks, and the problem appeared to die down. But as soon as police left the area, “K2” was back.
This time around, police presence wasn’t even enough to deter use, with people smoking synthetic cannabis in broad daylight.