Waco police are issuing a warning after two confirmed K2 overdoses happened over the weekend.
Waco police say a man who smoked K2, also known as man-made marijuana, died at the South Wind Apartments on Richter Avenue.
Another incident happened the next day after three people were taken to the hospital after police say they were smoking the drug outside of Mr. Magoo's Bar on Hodde Drive.
"One woman fell, hit her face on the concrete, broke out her teeth. They were having to do CPR on the guy. Two victims of Sunday night's incident were intubated and went to ICU in serious condition," said Waco Police Sgt. Patrick Swanton. "This is just not something to play with."
"We have seen several patients come into the emergency department almost on a weekly basis, we'll have patients that are overdosing or under the influence of K2," said Baylor Scott & White emergency physician Milind Chinoy.
Police believe the synthetic marijuana may have been laced with something else.
"There is a high likelihood that there could've been something else there. We are seeing fentanyl show up in our area now. Fentynol is extremely dangerous," said Swanton.
"I've had anything from persistent seizure activity all the way up to complete paranoia, hallucinations, aggressiveness," said Chinoy.
He added K2 is as dangerous as heroin and methamphetamine.
In Texas, it is illegal to manufacture, distribute, sell and possess K2, Spice or other synthetic marijuana products. The Drug Enforcement Administration has also banned five chemicals used to make it.
However, a DEA Dallas Division Special Agent Elaine Cesare said the most difficult part of controlling them is the constant change of the molecular strands.
"Manufacturers and distributors will continue to stay one step ahead of any state or federal drug- specific banning or control action by introducing and repackaging new synthetic cannabinoid products that are not listed as such in any of the controlled substance schedules," said Cesare in an email.
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+ Three people taken to the hospital after consuming unknown product, possibly K-2
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