CHICAGO, IL —The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Monday a 25-year-old man has died after using synthetic marijuana. The CCMEO reported the man’s death is the second in the county related to medical marijuana use, and he died as a result of brodifacoum toxicity.
According to the CCMEO, brodifacoum is a rat poison that’s been found in synthetic cannabinoids.
Chicago Sun-Times reported Jorge Vega, of the Brighton Park neighborhood, died June 12 at Loyola University Medical Center, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The most recent June 12 death is Illinois’ fifth that’s related to synthetic marijuana.
Last month, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported additional cases of severe bleeding in individuals who used synthetic cannabinoids, commonly called Spice, K2, and fake pot. IDPH said more than 160 people in Illinois in 15 counties have experienced severe bleeding after using synthetic marijuana, adding that cases who were tested were found to be positive for brodifacoum.
Patch reported in April that a fourth death related to synthetic cannabinoids — and severe bleeding — was confirmed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The most recent death was a central Illinois woman in her 30s.
Prior to that, IDPH confirmed that two men — one in his 40s and the other in his 20s — had died in central Illinois. The earliest cases of fake weed-related bleeding were reported March 7. Cases have also been reported in Maryland.
Patients have reported coughing up blood, blood in the urine, severe bloody nose, bleeding gums and internal bleeding. That’s due to a chemical found in rat poison, brodifacoum, which prevents blood from clotting, resulting in severe bleeding. High doses of vitamin K, up to 30 tablets a day for up to six months, can help restore the blood’s ability to clot, IDPH said in a press release.
IDPH has also stated:
Synthetic cannabinoids are human-made, mind-altering chemicals that are sprayed on to dried plant material. These chemicals are called cannabinoids because they act on the same brain cell receptors as the main active ingredient in marijuana. The health effects from using synthetic cannabinoids can be unpredictable, harmful, and deadly.
IDPH has issued warnings urging residents not to use synthetic cannabinoids. If you have and have experienced severe, unexplained bleeding or bruising, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Image via Illinois Department of Public Health
Brodifacoum impairs blood clotting and can cause deadly gastrointestinal and intracerebral hemorrhage.
Patch reported in the spring that a Chicago-area man in his 20s also died from fake weed-related bleeding.
Credit: patch.com
