Austin Medics Respond to Nine K2 Overdoses

AUSTIN, TX — Nine people received medical treatment late Sunday morning after overdosing on the drug K2, a synthetic marijuana that has been at the center of multiple local emergencies in the past.

Austin-Travis County EMS medics said via Twitter that two men were rushed to Dell Seton Medical Center after overdosing on the drug, The incidents occurred within an hour of each other, with medics initially called to the scene at 11:30 a.m.

The site of the emergency beneath the Interstate 35 overpass along the artery's service road is the same location where multiple victims have been felled by the drug in the past.

The drug has become something of a local epidemic in Austin. Because it's cheap, K2 is often sold to homeless people by drug dealers preying on the population for their insidious profit gains. As a result, ingestion of the drug has resulted in multiple emergency calls and hospitalization among its users.

In the summer of 2016, at least 69 people required medical treatment in quick succession after its victims were sold the drug en masse. Police have since bolstered their efforts to eradicate the drug from Austin streets, making several arrests of dealers selling the drug in recent months as part of a focused operation.

Related stories:

K2 Victim Count Reaches 69 People In Austin Requiring Medical Attention

Austin Synthetic Marijuana Overdoses Rise To 36 In Three-Day Period

Austin Police Seize $1.1M Worth Of K2 Drug In Traffic Stop

Austin Police Arrest Couple Accused Of Distributing K2 Drug Throughout City

Police Bust East Austin Pair For K2 Possession As War Is Waged Against Drug

Austin Police Charge Three Dozen People With Intent To Distribute K2 Synthetic Drug

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