In a rapid series of progressively escalating press releases by the Illinois Department of Public Health, it appears that a dangerous synthetic cannabinoid product called K2, spice, synthetic marijuana, legal weed or fake weed has now claimed its latest victim in an outbreak currently totaling 38 people whose severe bleeding is linked to exposure of this substance. The state division just announced the first death in this cluster. Over recent days, the toll of those harmed continues to increase with all being hospitalized for spontaneous excessive bleeding, including but not limited to coughing up blood, urinating blood, bloody stools, bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and gums. 
 
 Illinois government officials warn that these items were sold by convenience stores and dealers or obtained from friends. They have issued this advisory: 
 
 “If you have purchased any of this product in the past month, do not use it. If you have used any of these products, and start experiencing severe, unexplained bleeding or bruising, please have someone take you to the hospital immediately or call 911. Do not walk or drive yourself. Tell your health care providers about the possible link between your symptoms and synthetic cannabinoid use.” 
 
 What are synthetic cannabinoids? 
 
 The agency goes on to inform about the varying misperceptions people have with respect to synthetic cannabinoids and their falsely perceived safety. As per their description, they are human-made, unregulated mind-altering chemicals that fall under a drug category called new psychoactive substances (NPS). These substances are sprayed on dried plant material for smoking or sold in liquid form to be used in vaporizing devices. 
 
 They are sold and used recreationally under many names (e.g. herbal or liquid incense, K2, Spice, Black Mamba, Bombay Blue, Genie, Zohai, among others). Often pitched as being able to mimic the effects of cannabis because the chemical makeup is similar to those in the marijuana plant, the marketing of synthetic cannabinoids as synthetic “pot” can be deceptive and untrue. Synthetic cannabinoids have been found to impact the brain with greater potency, be volatile and life-threatening. 
 
 What is causing the internal bleeding (and now death) in Illinois? 
 
 According to the Chicago Tribune, 
 
 “Consumption of synthetic cannabinoids previously has caused serious health problems such as seizures and kidney failure, but the side effect of severe bleeding is tied to the recent outbreak, said Dr. Patrick Lank, a medical toxicologist who works at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.” The article goes on to reveal “three of the hospitalized people tested positive for brodifacoum, more commonly known as rat poison.” 
 
 You may be familiar with the drug coumadin - a blood thinning medication used to treat clots and prevent stroke - whose generic name is warfarin. Brodifacoum is often called a “superwarfarin” because it is extremely powerful with a long duration of action. 
 
 Rat poison notoriously contains ingredients that have anticoagulant properties - or substances that impede someone’s ability to clot effectively. This particular compound antagonizes Vitamin K (which is necessary for proper clotting) and has an especially long half-life, so treatment for poisonings requires high doses at regular, continuous intervals for protracted periods of time. Over-the-counter options are not good enough given the severity of the problem and the urgency needed to correct it. And, therapies are mostly helpful when initiated before extensive bleeding and blood loss takes place. 
 
 Once someone loses their ability to clot a cascade of untoward events follows. With such internal bleeding and blood loss, a person can go into shock, suffer a stroke, cardiac events, loss of consciousness and death. 
 
 The bottom line… 
 
 Efforts to liken synthetic cannabinoids to the active ingredient in marijuana by calling the products synthetic “pot” or “marijuana” are misleading misnomers. These “products” contain many highly potent, dangerous chemicals and you are taking big risks when using them. 
 
 ADDENDUM (4/2/18, 8pm) 
 
 The Illinois Department of Public Health now reports 2 deaths, 56 cases and expects these numbers to rise. See their link here for daily updates on this outbreak. ||||| A woman from central Illinois has become the fourth person in the state to die from synthetic marijuana, officials announced Tuesday. 
 
 The woman, whose name was not disclosed, was in her 30s, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported. 
 
 Previously, two men, one in his 20s and another in his 40s, died in central Illinois, along with a Chicago-area man in his 20s. 
 
 Health officials reported that 153 people in 13 counties in Illinois have gotten sick from synthetic cannabinoids believed to be laced with rat poison. Most victims are from the Chicago and Peoria areas. 
 
 Synthetic marijuana is not marijuana at all but man-made chemicals sold on the premise that they act on the same brain cell receptors as the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC. 
 
 In recent weeks, victims have begun showing up in hospital emergency rooms after coughing up blood, bleeding in the urine, nose or gums, or having internal bleeding, officials said. It was determined that they were suffering from a chemical found in rat poison called brodifacoum, which prevents blood from clotting. Officials said the poison is believed to have been mixed in with the synthetic marijuana. 
 
 Patients are treated with intravenous transfusions of vitamin K to restore their blood’s clotting ability, followed by vitamin K pills. On Monday, officials announced a donation of nearly 800,000 vitamin K tablets by the Bausch Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. in Laval, Quebec. 
 
 rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com 
 
 Twitter @RobertMcCoppin 
 
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 Tainted synthetic pot eyed as cause of another Illinois death as store owner accused of selling substance held without bail » ||||| (CNN) A fourth death in central Illinois has been connected to synthetic cannabinoid use, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Tuesday. 
 
 Since March 7, synthetic cannabinoids have sickened 153 people and been blamed in four deaths: a woman in her 30s, a man in his 40s and two men in their 20s. 
 
 Synthetic cannabinoids across Chicago and parts of central Illinois have been found to contain brodifacoum, a rat poison, according to state health officials. 
 
 Earlier this month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned about life-threatening bleeding linked to the use of synthetic cannabinoids, often sold as spice, K2 or fake weed . A CDC "outbreak alert" noted that there were some bleeding cases also in Indiana, Maryland, Missouri and Wisconsin. 
 
 Now, the number of hospitalizations and deaths is continuing to climb. 
 
 "We continue to see new cases of individuals experiencing severe bleeding after using synthetic cannabinoids," Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a written statement Tuesday. 
 
 "Like so many other drugs, synthetic cannabinoids are addictive and people are not able to give them up. Alternatively, they think that it won't happen to them because they know their dealer or trust wherever they purchased the drugs," he said. "If you know someone who uses synthetic cannabinoids, tell them these are deadly products and try to help them get treatment." 
 
 The US Attorney's Office charged three men with federal drug offenses and accused them of conspiring to sell synthetic cannabinoids at a Chicago convenience store, in connection with some of the cases. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Police: Spike in synthetic marijuana overdoses in 2015 Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Police: Spike in synthetic marijuana overdoses in 2015 02:13 
 
 Synthetic cannabinoids are human-made chemicals that can be sprinkled on dried, shredded plant material and smoked or consumed as vaporized liquids inhaled through an e-cigarette or other device. 
 
 Although these mind-altering chemicals are called cannabinoids, since they are designed to be similar to the chemicals found in marijuana, their actual impacts on the brain and body are much more powerful. They can cause serious side effects that are different from those of marijuana. 
 
 One study of a synthetic cannabinoid, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2016, found that it was 85 times as potent as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the mind-altering chemical in marijuana. 
 
 Since the synthetic cannabinoids in Illinois were found to contain rat poison, most of the hospitalizations have been related to unexplained bleeding, such as coughing up blood, blood in the urine, bloody nose and bleeding gums. 
 
 A chemical in rat poison prevents blood from clotting, causing the severe bleeding, according to the state health department. 
 
 Health officials warn that anyone who has a reaction to synthetic cannabinoids, such as severe bleeding, should call 911 or be taken to an emergency department immediately. 
 
 To treat the bleeding, doctors use high doses of vitamin K, up to 30 tablets a day for up to six months, which can help restore the blood's ability to clot. 
 
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 Since this rising number of cases calls for a large amount of vitamin K and long duration of treatment -- costing up to thousands of dollars for each patient -- the Illinois Department of Public Health announced that it's working to find a way to place no financial burden on patients tied to the synthetic cannabinoids outbreak. 
 
 The Bausch Foundation, the charitable organization of Valeant Pharmaceuticals, donated nearly 800,000 tablets of vitamin K to the department.
– Another person in Illinois has died after using synthetic marijuana, reports the Chicago Tribune. The central Illinois woman, who was in her 30s, is the fourth person to die in the state after apparent use of the tainted substance. She's the third central Illinois victim; the fourth was from Chicago. In the last few weeks, more than 150 people across 13 counties have been hospitalized after using synthetic pot laced with what health officials believe to be a type of a rat poison known as brodifacoum, a powerful anti-coagulant. A widely used pesticide, when ingested by humans brodifacoum can cause bleeding from the nose or gums, as well as internal bleeding. Symptoms include coughing up blood and bloody urine, health officials say, and brodifacoum poisoning can be treated with vitamin K administered via IV to stabilize the blood’s clotting ability. The treatment is effective if initiated before excessive bleeding occurs, per the American Council on Science and Health. CNN reports health officials urge anyone who has a reaction to synthetic marijuana to call 911 or go to an emergency room.