Fake Weed Now Tied To 2 Deaths, Several Arrests In Illinois

WILL COUNTY, IL — Two deaths — one in Peoria and one in Kane County — are now being attributed to synthetic marijuana, prompting warnings from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the arrest of three people accused of selling fake weed containing an FDA-banned substance. State health officials on Monday announced that a second person has died after using synthetic cannabis and 70 people have now been hospitalized for severe bleeding associated with the drug.

Nine cases have tested positive for containing a lethal anticoagulant used to kill rats.

"All cases have required hospitalization for symptoms such as coughing up blood, blood in the urine, severe bloody nose, and/or bleeding gums," IDPH said Monday. "Nine of these cases have tested positive for brodifacoum, a lethal anticoagulant often used as a rodenticide, or rat poison."

The Peoria County coroner's office told the Chicago Tribune it is investigating the death of a 22-year-old man who died Thursday morning and had been hospitalized for severe internal bleeding after using K2. In Kane County, a man in his 20s died.

The news of the second death comes days after after IDPH warned residents that synthetic cannabinoids — also known as fake weed, K2 or spice — had been tied to multiple cases of severe bleeding. The drug can cause bleeding from the ears, eyes and gums, Illinois health officials.

Meanwhile, the owner of a Chicago convenience store and two employees are facing federal charges of selling synthetic marijuana after uncover officers purchased K2 from the store multiple times. The K2 sold at the Chicago shop contained rat poison as well as a drug ruled a controlled substance by the FDA last year, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.

IDPH said the first cases of severe bleeding were reported on March 7. To date, cases have been reported in:

• Chicago - 19 cases
• Cook County - 6 cases
• DuPage County - 1 case
• Kane County - 1 case (fatal)
• Kankakee County - 2 cases
• McLean County - 1 case
• Peoria County - 20 cases (1 fatal)
• Tazewell County - 15 cases
• Will County - 1 case

Bleeding Eyes, Ears Associated With Fake Weed: IL Health Dept

In a statement, IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D., stressed that synthetic cannabinoids — human-made, mind-altering chemicals that are sprayed on dried plant material — are unsafe.

"They can contain a variety of chemicals, and users often don’t know what those are, such as rat poison,” said Shah. “Despite the perception that synthetic cannabinoids are a safe alternative to marijuana, they can cause very severe illness.”

Health officials said the effects of synthetic cannabinoids "can be unpredictable, harmful, and deadly," adding that IDPH continues to investigate to try to identify any common products and determine where they were obtained. Synthetic cannabinoids are found across Illinois and the U.S. in convenience stores, gas stations, drug paraphernalia shops, novelty stores, and online.

Anyone who has a reaction to synthetic cannabinoids should call 911 or have someone take them to the emergency department immediately.

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