Synthetic Marijuana plagues cities in Florida

ayodele johnson

March 21, 2016 8:55 AM

The St. Petersburg Police Department said dispatchers answered several calls for individuals needing medical assistance.

Synthetic Marijuana

Law enforcement agencies in Florida, United States, have in recent weeks seen a high increase of emergency calls related to people being slumped over in a stupefied state due to an overdose of Synthetic Marijuana, also known as Spice.

Authorities said they have received dozens of calls concerning people, mostly youths, who have had to be rushed to the hospital because of suspected spice use.

Tampa medical and law enforcement professionals have given a warning about the dangerous increase in overdoses linked to a bad batch of spice that's being sold.

A photo from the Clearwater Police Department taken at Crest Lake Park showed two people in a head-down position, while one person laid on the ground.

They are suspected to have taken an overdose of the substance.

In addition, a video taken at the same park on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, by Major Eric Gandy of the Clearwater Police Department showed him trying several times to speak to unresponsive individuals about how long ago they had taken spice.

READ: 5 US students hospitalized after smoking 'artificial cannabis'

Jerome Freeland, 29, told Mail Online that most of the people who take Spice at the park are homeless.

“It's mainly the homeless people that are using this drug,”

“They go buy this drug with money that people give them and then go sit around our parks and other places.”

“They are zombified homeless people on drugs and I've seen people fall out around my place from the usage of it.”

Officers have encountered violent individuals, as well as those having convulsions and several who are just completely unresponsive.

ayodele johnson