Number Of Suspected Synthetic Drug Overdoses Climbs Even Higher In Tulsa

EMSA in Tulsa says by 1 p.m. on Thursday it had responded to four more calls for transporting patients suspected to have used a synthetic drug.

In the last three days, 29 people with possible overdoses on the same substance have been taken to hospitals by ambulance. It is an unprecedented and worrisome number for local authorities.

As previously reported, 19 people were transported on Tuesday -– nine of whom collapsed outside a downtown Tulsa soup kitchen. On Wednesday, five more were transported from the downtown area by EMSA.

Four arrests have been made in connection to the hospitalization cases for the distribution and possession of K2, a synthetic drug that, while referred to as “synthetic marijuana" by some, is several times more potent than and carries risks of severe side effects more closely related to PCP and LSD. Police say one experimentation with K2 can become addictive.

There are nearly 300 synthetic drug concoctions that are illegal in Oklahoma. State lawmakers have made first-time possession of K2 a felony.


10/21/2015 Related Story: EMSA: 5 More Transported With Possible K2 Overdoses; Week's Total Now 24

10/21/2015 Related Story: Now In Rehab, Former Tulsa K2 Users Say High Isn't Worth It