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Synthetic Marijuana: What It Is And How It Affects People

03:42

August 16, 2018

This photo provided Friday, Aug. 7, 2015 by New York Police Department shows packets of synthetic marijuana seized after a search warrant was served at a newsstand in Brooklyn, N.Y. (AP Photo/New York Police Department)

A large-scale drug overdose rocked New Haven, Connecticut, Thursday — but from a drug you might not think of: synthetic marijuana, or K2. It's also known as spice or AK-47. Dozens of people in and around a large park area in the city's downtown experienced increased heart rates, vomiting and more. Some were unconscious.

Here & Now's Robin Young learns more about synthetic marijuana and its effects from Dr. Jenny Lu, an emergency room doctor at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

This segment aired on August 16, 2018.