Teens fell unconscious after consuming synthetic cannabinoids: Halton police

Halton police say two teenagers who were rushed to hospital after falling unconscious at a house party last month, had consumed synthetic cannabinoids.

Officers were called to a Milton home around 2 p.m. on May 15. Police say more than a dozen high school students were gathered at the home when two 18-year-olds went outside to smoke what they thought was salvia.

The teens both lost consciousness and began to have seizures. A neighbour witnessed the incident and called 911.

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After officers arrived on scene, they believed the teens were suffering from an opioid overdose and they administered naloxone. One teen regained consciousness after just one dose but the other required a second dose to regain consciousness.

Both men were transported to hospital and released a few short hours later.

Halton police sent a number of drug samples to Health Canada and the Center for Forensic Sciences for analysis to identify the cause of the suspected overdoses.

Investigators say the results found the teens were not exposed to an opioid but had ingested synthetic cannabinoids.

Police say synthetic cannabinoids are man-made chemicals that mimic the effects of cannabis. Products that contain synthetic cannabinoids, such as Spice and K2 are often smoked for the cannabis-like effect but are dangerous because there is no quality control in the preparation and packaging process.

“The contents of most synthetic cannabinoids are unknown, untested and can change from product to product. Synthetic cannabinoids are illegal in Canada, and unregulated,” said Halton police in a news release.

Health Canada recommends avoiding the consumption of these products as they can cause severe illness and even death. There is no safe way to use synthetic cannabinoids.