Thursday, 26 November 2015

Warning after synthetic cannabis lands 17 people in hospital in 5 days


The Waitemata District Health Board is warning that people who experiment with synthetic cannabis are putting unknown and untested chemicals into their body.

Synthetic cannabis

One News

Dr Kate Allen of Waitemata DHB's Emergency Department says the long-term and permanent effects of these drugs was still unknown.
"The users of these drugs are essentially being used as lab rats, whether they realise this or not," she said.
Waitakere Hospital had 17 people admitted suffering negative effects from synthetic cannabis between November 13 and 17.
"Many of these patients had low levels of consciousness and were near comatose, while one patient experienced seizures," Dr Allen said.
"The more typical presentations for synthetic cannabinoid use are high blood pressure, palpitations and negative effects on the mind, including anxiety and hallucinations.
"It is important for people to understand that due to the unknown composition of synthetic cannabinoids, the effects are very different to those of marijuana.
"We don't want people being fooled into thinking these drugs are safe – they certainly aren't worth the risk."

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