UPDATED: K2 Victim Count Reaches 69 People In Austin Requiring Medical Attention: [VIDEO]

AUSTIN, TX -- The batch of the synthetic drug K2 that felled dozens of people beginning Thursday -- the count of sickened drug users now up to 69 -- likely came from Houston, police said on Friday.

Police said the bad batch (not that there's ever a good batch) of K2, a synthetic marijuana drug, was linked to a source in Houston -- where 16 people at a park were taken to the hospital this past June, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Austin police told the Austin American-Statesman they base this theory on interviews with people downtown as well as “internal intelligence,” according to Lt. Kurt Thomas. K2 — also known as kush, spice or synthetic marijuana — is manufactured overseas, and police said a shipment into Houston made its way to Austin.

At a Thursday press conference, Thomas said three "people of interest" are being questioned related to distribution of the drug locally. He added that the high number of victims has been taxing on emergency services as K2 users succumb en masse, yet intermittently in groups, who then require emergency care.

"It's inundating the patrol resources, and EMS resources alike," Thomas said. "It's a tremendous burden on our resources."

Thomas noted there is no prototypical K2 user, and suspects with whom he's had contact range from the young to the elderly.

"It's something that's serious, and something we need to continue to address," Thomas said.

Watch the full press conference below:

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From Aug. 25:

AUSTIN, TX -- Police have shut down downtown streets in responding to a string of K2-related incidents in the are that have occurred in quick succession, according to a published report.

Police told the Austin American-Statesman the uptick in cases involving the synthetic drug K2 -- a drug mimicking the effects of marijuana but said to be more potent -- started Wednesday and has felled some 28 patients as of Thursday. Emergency crews on Thursday began responding to K2-related incidents at about 7 a.m., with the most recent case reported at 1:40 p.m., officials told the newspaper.

Some of the patients were unconscious, others undergoing seizures and still more reported being in altered states of mind, according to the Statesman. As a result, police have shut down the intersection of 7th and Red River streets while medics treat those afflicted. The Statesman notes the rash of K2-related cases is concentrated in a downtown area encompassing 10 Street to the north, 5th Street to the south, I-35 to the east and Congress Avenue to the west.

People near the homeless shelter at 7th and Neches streets told the newspaper on Thursday they saw the same group of people sharing a single K2 joint before people started to collapse one after another.

This is a developing story, and Patch will update as more details are made available.

The incident comes as the Austin Police Department is having to deal with increased use of K2 within the city. Earlier this month, police issued arrest warrants for 13 people in a crackdown on distribution of the synthetic drug -- an offshoot of a concerted effort by cops to curb the scourge.

Other cities are also plagued with the increased popularity of the popular drug. Last month in Brooklyn, police responded to reports of a people "acting like zombies" on the border with Bed-Stuy/Bushwick border. This was no zombie apocalypse, but 33 people suffering the adverse effects of the drug in what was recorded as the worst mass synthetic marijuana overdose in Brooklyn's history.

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, K2 comprises a mixture of chemicals mixed together to mimic the effects of THC, the naturally occurring active compound found in marijuana.

"The chemicals are sprayed on bits of dried plant material, packaged in colorful wrappers, nicknamed “poison packets,” and sold under the guise of potpourri and herbal incense in local convenience stores, smoke shops and even online," NCASA officials wrote on their website.

Synthetic marijuana use can lead to side effects such as rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation and hallucinations, officials said.

Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman >>