Law enforcement is still trying to find the source behind what city officials describe as an “outbreak” in spice, or synthetic marijuana, that has sent at least 21 residents to the emergency room since Saturday night.
As of Tuesday morning, two people needed further hospital treatment after the emergency room, and at least one faced life-threatening conditions, said Paul Myers, an administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County.
The synthetic drug can result in anything from extreme agitation to seizures to unconsciousness, and sometimes even heart attacks, Myers said.
“These are very serious effects,” he said.
Of those admitted to local emergency rooms as of Tuesday, the oldest was 72 years old, and the youngest was about 18 years old.
“It really has encompassed a wide demographic,” Myers said. “The hospital noticed the trends and really is to be commended for connecting the dots.”
The drug is a form of synthetic marijuana, made more dangerous by chemicals that a secondary dealer or supplier will add to make it stronger, said Gainesville Police spokesperson Officer Ryan Foster.
“The best course of action is to encourage all to avoid ‘spice’ or similar related products altogether,” Foster wrote in an email.
He said police are currently increasing patrols near Haisley Lynch Dog Park, located at 414-424 S. Main St., which is central to where they say many of the recent spice-related incidents have happened.
This isn’t the first spice outbreak Gainesville has seen in recent years, Myers said. In May 2014, over the course of a single weekend, more than 30 spice-related incidents popped up.
For Land O’ Lakes, Florida, resident Desi Krell, spice is more than a drug — it’s a major factor in her divorce and how she lost touch with her future ex-husband.
“It’s like his ability to reason was messed up,” she said. “It’s almost like he became a grown-up 3-year-old”
Krell, 36, who lived in Gainesville during the last major outbreak, said even when her husband, Duane Elkins, gave up the drug after about 10 months of frequent use, she could notice its effects lingering.
“It was almost like he was in a permanent state of anger,” she said.
After about three days during the May 2014 outbreak, police found where the spice was being sold and shut down the operation, he said.
Myers said the solution three years ago — and what he and police are hoping will be the solution this time — was public awareness.
“As soon as we put out the alerts, the case count dropped precipitously last time,” he said. “So that’s why we’re hoping for the same results this time.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123
Above: A bad batch of spice, or synthetic marijuana, has sent at least 21 Gainesville residents to local emergency rooms since Saturday night, said Paul Myers, an administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County. Police are still looking for the source of where the batch is being sold.
