Emergency medical services and fire department personnel in Washington, D.C., responded to a spike in patients with a suspected synthetic marijuana overdose — taking dozens of people to hospitals during a 24-hour period between Sept. 12-13, The Washington Post reports.
On the night of Sept. 12, medics responded to 27 patients and took 20 of them to hospitals. By the early evening of Sept. 13, medics assessed another 22 patients and transported 19 to nearby hospitals.
Suspected synthetic marijuana overdose cases seemed to be tapering to a few a day in D.C. after a separate overdose surge in July. The July spike included three deaths after patients used K2, or synthetic cannabinoids.
After the spike in July, health officials started a public information campaign urging people not to use the drugs.