CHICAGO – Recent cases of fake marijuana laced with rat poisoning recently prompted a national warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a media report.
The warning was for patients with severe, unexplained bleeding.
The lethal combination killed three people in Illinois and caused bleeding in more than 100 others in multiple states.
Symptoms include coughing up blood, blood in the urine, severe bloody noses, bleeding gums and internal bleeding.
CDC’s alert says outside Illinois, emergency rooms in Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Maryland have treated affected patients since March 10.
“This is an unusual outbreak,” Renee Funk said, adding that is unclear how the contamination occurred.
The federal government and many states have banned some of these products or specific ingredients, but the CDC says manufacturers skirt these laws by creating new products or labeling them “not for human consumption.”
CDC’s alert says outside Illinois, emergency rooms in Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Maryland have treated affected patients since March 10.
“This is an unusual outbreak,” Renee Funk said, adding that is unclear how the contamination occurred.
The federal government and many states have banned some of these products or specific ingredients, but the CDC says manufacturers skirt these laws by creating new products or labeling them “not for human consumption.”