Dozens Ill as 'Spice' Rampages Through LA's Skid Row

Almost 50 people got sick in Los Angeles on Friday, and another 22 became ill in the city Monday—and the LAPD believes the synthetic drug "spice" is to blame. The people reported feeling sick with "drug-induced symptoms," per My News LA, and investigators say the chemicals in the latest version of the drug, which ABC 7 refers to as synthetic marijuana, make it more addictive. Spice has been commonly used in the Skid Row area recently because it's cheap and easy to find, police say, so they've started passing out flyers in the area warning people about the drug's dangers.

Overdose symptoms included altered mental states, aggression, and even seizures in some cases. The Fire Department's medical director calls the situation a public health crisis, KTLA reports. "Obviously, there’s a particularly potent batch of some illicit drugs that presumably people here are using," he says. "Patients' lives are in danger." (More synthetic drugs stories.)