WELLINGTON: At least seven people are believed to have died in Auckland this month after using synthetic cannabis, New Zealand police said Friday, warning users to stay away from the drug. Police said synthetic cannabis, which was outlawed in New Zealand in 2014, was often laced with unknown substances and could cause fatal seizures. Synthetic cannabis can include psycho-active ingredients many times stronger than those naturally found in marijuana. The UN’s drugs control body in 2015 warned that new synthetic drugs, which emerged in the United States about a decade ago, posed a serious health problem. Cities like New York have launched active campaigns against synthetic cannabis, which has killed several people and sent thousands of others to emergency rooms.

Source: Manila Times July 21, 2017 03:11 UTC