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Synthetic marijuana drug overdoses flood hospitals

Police are working to arrest the dealers who have brought a new type of synthetic marijuana to central PA. Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico says more...

Police are working to arrest the dealers who have brought a new type of synthetic marijuana to central PA. Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico says more than 30 people have overdosed on it just in the past week, turning up in local emergency rooms.

Victims have had heart problems, vomiting, thoughts of suicide, and become delirious. One symptom is turning violent on emergency responders. Doctors say some of them were near death.

“Users of these substances are really playing Russian Roulette,” says Marsico. “Use this junk only if you want to end up at the ER or in a coffin.”

Samples of the drug are in a State police lab. They’re trying to identify the compound that’s causing the overdoses.

Police arrested Latasha Purrington of Harrisburg on Thursday for dealing the drug. But they say there are more sources who are funneling the drug from New York.

“Obviously there’s no regulations on how its made, where its made, there’s crap in it, for lack of a better term that’s going to cause you some real problems,” says Marsico.

Doctors say some of the victims are teenagers, and police are urging parents to take action.

“Please get into your kids lives. understand what they’re doing,” says Harrisburg Police Chief Thomas Carter. “Check their rooms, check their book bags, check their pockets, talk to them.”

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