WASHINGTON – Federal and local officials are worried about a spike in drug overdoses among the homeless in the District of Columbia and attribute the problem to an easily accessible illegal drug — synthetic marijuana. Also known as K2 spice, synthetic marijuana can cause anxiety and an increased heart rate, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendra Briggs.
“Basically it’s like potpourri,” said Briggs. “It’s just a mix-mash of stuff thrown into a bag that’s what K2 spice is and that is what the issue is.”
A number of people have been treated for drug overdoses, many of them homeless, which is why members of the U.S. Attorney’s office have been on a mission to inform Washington residents about the dangers of synthetic marijuana.
“What we’ve noticed is that a lot of the overdoses in the last couple of months have been in or around homeless shelters, said Briggs during a meeting earlier this week at the Central Union Mission, a homeless shelter on the edge of Capitol Hill.
Deborah Chamber, director of strategic partnerships and community engagement for the mission, said the overdoses are happening too close to home.
“We serve a vulnerable population here and they’ve been the target of this drug and so we wanted to provide some information in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, so that they can be aware of the dangers of synthetic drug use,” Chamber said.
This week’s presentation to about 50 people was the second effort to alert D.C. residents to the dangers of synthetic marijuana. The last presentation will be on Aug. 19 at the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter.