Three Deaths Possibly Linked to Synthetic Marijuana in Colorado

Police are currently investigating three deaths in Colorado that were tied to synthetic marijuana use that sent 75 people to the hospital in the area in late August. 

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, the state health department and local health hospitals and health agencies, they are launching an investigation after recent reports that patients were treated for severe reactions to synthetic marijuana strains.

"Several individuals were in intensive care, and three deaths are being investigated as possibly associated," said Dr. Tista Ghosh, interim chief medical officer for the state, in a statement for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, via the Huffington Post.

The news organization notes that the investigation also is working to identify other products that make patients sick. 

Hospital staff have reason to believe that an influx of 20 patients seen in August may have been due to a "bad batch" of synthetic marijuana. 

Regardless of what the investigation finds, Ghosh warns inviduals who may be dabbling with the substance to get rid of it as soon as possible. 

"Don't wait for the results of this investigation. If you have synthetic marijuana, stop using it and destroy it," he said said, via the Denver Post. 

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) first reported the drug in 2009 in the United States. Since then, the organization notes that its use has spread throughout the country and poison centers received 5,228 calls regarding exposures to the drug in 2012 alone.