Broome County Synthetic Marijuana Cases Soaring

The number of Broome County residents requiring hospital treatment after using synthetic marijuana has risen dramatically in recent days.

In one 70-minute period, five people in the county were sent to hospitals after smoking the drug known on the street as "spike."

Detective Sergeant Matthew Cower of the Broome County Sheriff's Office said he was aware of about a dozen cases of people being rushed to local hospitals over the past week or so.

Synthetic marijuana use has been soaring in the Syracuse area over the last few months. Cower said it appears the problem is "coming down here."

Cower said those who make the stuff have altered ingredients in an effort to keep a step ahead of laws which have been passed banning synthetic marijuana.

Different varieties of the drug can cause a range of effects with those who use it. Some people become unconscious while others become very combative with medics and law enforcement officers.

Cower said some synthetic marijuana packages state the product is "not for human consumption." He said the drugs are being sold - sometimes behind the counter - at gas stations, convenience stores and head shops.

Cower will discuss the problems associated with synthetic marijuana and what local law enforcement agencies plan to do about the trend June 8 at 9:45 a.m. on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program.