Plymouth-Canton Student Hospitalized After Taking Cloud 9 Synthetic Drug

Cloud 9 may look like this. A few drops on her tongue sent one Salem High School student to the hospital. (Patch file photo)

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A 17-year-old Salem High School student was still hospitalized Friday afternoon after she became ill Thursday after taking Cloud 9, a liquid synthetic cannabinoid that can produce hallucinations.

The student was one of four Canton Township police believe were using the drug, which they said was being distributed at or near the high school, WDIV, Channel 2, reports.

Det. Sgt. Chad Baugh said another student, a boy, was disoriented and bumped into a teacher, spilling the instructor’s coffee. “The teacher went to address the student and he really was unresponsive to a large degree,” Baugh said.

The girl who became ill had put eight or nine drops of the liquid substance, which is so powerful that police wear gloves when handling it, on her tongue. All four students required medical treatment, but only the one remains hospitalized.

It’s believed the students used an e-cigarette vaporizer to take the drugs.

Police said Cloud 9, which is also known as bath salts and by other innocuous sounding names, has physical effects that are similar to cocaine or methamphetamine, including hallucinations, nausea, vomiting and rapid heart beat