MOBILE, Ala. — In what is being called a “spice” epidemic, Newman’s Ambulance Company has responded to an influx of calls related to synthetic marijuana over the past two weeks.
At its worst they got 50 calls in one night, Fox 10 reports.
The chemical compound causes everything from shortness of breath, to hallucinations, to cardiac arrest. Many patients have also gone into fits of rage, and had to be restrained in the ambulance. Some became so violent they broke the restraints, medic Erin Sands told Fox.
“And then you’re kind of in the back of the ambulance by yourself with someone who is completely altered,” she said. “They don’t know what’s going on and it’s just a scary situation.”
Medics described incidents where it took four people more than an hour to deal with one out-of-control spice patient. The drug affects everyone differently and it’s unclear how long the symptoms last.
What raises a red flag, said medic Lee Edgeworth, is the age range for the spice calls. They’ve responded to young teenagers, people in their 20s and 30s, and even some 50-year-olds.
“Please talk to your kids,” he said. “Talk to your friends. Let them know that this is a very serious, life threatening issue that’s going on here.”