text: CHICAGO (CBS) — It seemed like a typical corner store, but police sources say clerks were selling something sinister inside. 
   
   The store in Lawndale was shut down after a Chicago Police investigation found clerks selling potentially deadly synthetic cannabis. It’s not known whether the store is linked to any recent illnesses in the Chicago area, from the product. 
   
   “We want to alert people to the dangers of using synthetic cannabinoids,” Jennifer Layden, the chief medical officer of the Illinois Department of Public Health, told CBS 2’s Suzanne LeMignot. 
   
   Since March 10, Layden says, there have been 17 cases of severe bleeding in people using synthetic cannabinoids. 
   
   “With this particular cluster, what we are seeing is people are coming in with various types of bleeding,” Layden said. “Whether it’s nose bleeds, bleeding from their gums, bleeding in their urine. Very severe bleeding that’s prompting them to go to the emergency room.” 
   
   “People have reported purchasing it from various convenience stores, dealers or acquiring it from friends. The vast majority have reported acquiring the product in the Chicagoland area.” 
   
   Layden says the synthetic cannabinoids are made up of hundreds of various chemicals and can impact brain function, create hallucinations, delusions and even violent behavior. 
   
   Layden says they’re investigating right now, to identify a common product, that could link all the cases. 
   
   Layden says the synthetic cannabinoids are made up of hundreds of various chemicals and can impact your brain function, create hallucinations, delusions and even violent behavior. Layden says they’re investigating right now, to identify a common product, that could link all the cases. ||||| State and local health officials have issued a warning about a synthetic pot in Illinois that has caused users to experience severe bleeding. 
   
   On Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that 32 people in the past few weeks visited emergency rooms with severe bleeding after using a synthetic cannabinoid product. That’s up from the 22 cases the state reported just the day before. 
   
   The department also released a geographic breakdown, reporting eight cases in Chicago, four in suburban Cook County and one each in Will, DuPage, Kane and McLean counties. The hot spot seems to be the Peoria area, with Tazewell County reporting 10 cases and neighboring Peoria County six. 
   
   Most of those affected were in the Chicago area, but health officials warned the contaminated products also could be present elsewhere across the state, said department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. 
   
   The health department said Thursday that symptoms have included bleeding from the eyes and ears. On Friday, officials clarified that while this can happen, those affected in Illinois have reported other symptoms, like coughing up blood, blood in urine, bloody noses, bleeding gums and, for women, heavier than usual menstrual flow. 
   
   Though synthetic pot has long been considered dangerous, severe bleeding is not a known side effect, said Dr. Melissa Millewich, an emergency room physician at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. 
   
   “This bleeding is not expected, at least in such a significant population so quickly,” she said. 
   
   Despite a statewide ban, Arnold said manufacturers could be slightly tweaking the molecular makeup of the products as a way to “get around” the law, allowing for them to be sold legally. They are also sold on the street, she said, and those experiencing the bleeding said they obtained the products in convenience stores and from dealers and friends. 
   
   Health officials reported 32 people who experienced the symptom since March 7, and they continue to track the situation, Arnold said. So far, there are no deaths reported. 
   
   A change in the latest formula could be behind the new, dangerous symptom, Millewich said. Because health officials don’t know the exact makeup of the products, it’s unclear what’s causing the bleeding, she added. 
   
   While there have been no such cases at Good Samaritan’s ER, Millewich said, synthetic pot, often called “fake weed,” “K2” or “spice,” has previously displayed life-threatening symptoms like kidney failure, along with psychosis. 
   
   “People don’t realize how dangerous this is,” she said. 
   
   The man-made substance is a mixture of hundreds of chemicals, often called cannabinoids because they affect the same brain cell receptors as the main ingredient in marijuana. Cannabinoids are sometimes sprayed on plant material for smoking, or are sold as liquids to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes and other devices, the health department’s warning said. The products are also sometimes referred to as herbal or liquid incense. 
   
   Recent patient reports of severe bleeding led health officials to warn the public not to use any synthetic cannabinoid products. 
   
   While those affected by the outbreak admitted using cannabinoids, it’s been difficult to determine their exact source for the substance, Arnold said. 
   
   Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the public health department, says there’s an erroneous perception that synthetic cannabinoids are a safe and legal alternative to marijuana. 
   
   Shah says they're unsafe because it's difficult to know what chemicals they contain or what an individual's reaction will be. 
   
   A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found there’s also an association between teens who use synthetic pot and a heightened risk for violent behavior, risky sex and abuse of other drugs. 
   
   Anyone who uses these drugs and experiences unexplained bleeding or bruising is advised to call 911 or have someone take them to an emergency room. 
   
   Associated Press contributed. 
   
   kthayer@chicagotribune.com 
   
   Twitter @knthayer
target: – Synthetic pot is causing a bloody mess in the Chicago area. "What we are seeing is people are coming in with various types of bleeding,” CBS Chicago quotes the chief medical officer of the Illinois Department of Public Health as saying. “Whether it’s nose bleeds, bleeding from their gums, bleeding in their urine. Very severe bleeding that’s prompting them to go to the emergency room.” Officials have reported 22 people taken to the ER with severe bleeding connected to synthetic cannabinoid products since March 7, the Chicago Tribune reports. In addition to the above symptoms, fake weed users are bleeding from their eyes and ears, as well as coughing up blood. Officials say there have so far been no deaths connected with the synthetic pot. While synthetic pot can present a host of health risks, severe bleeding is not a known side effect. “This bleeding is not expected, at least in such a significant population so quickly,” says one area ER physician. The director of toxicology for the NorthShore University HealthSystem tells NBC Chicago the tainted synthetic pot—which is typically made of hundreds of chemicals—could contain some sort of blood thinner or anticoagulant. Patients have reported getting synthetic pot from dealers, friends, and convenience stores, and officials are trying to identify a single product linking the cases. Officials seized some synthetic pot—also known as K2 and spice—from a Chicago mini-mart, but no arrests have been made. Officials warn that while most of the bleeding has been in the Chicago area, the tainted synthetic pot may have spread throughout the state.