Local Man May Be First Synthetic Marijuana Death In State

A local man who died on July 27 may be the first death due to synthetic marijuana in the state.

Oscar Ramos was found unconscious on the floor of his Kensington apartment with a package of synthetic marijuana near his body, according to the Daily News.

He was taken to Maimonides Medical Center and died the next day. However, according to the medical examiner’s office, synthetic marijuana overdose has not been confirmed as the cause of death.

“My brother was trying to start a new life,” Oscar’s brother Manny told the Daily News. “He wanted to move to New Jersey to be with his wife and his children and then this happened.” Oscar had recently served a 17-year prison sentence.

Synthetic marijuana, also called Spice or K2, is a mix of dried herbs and chemicals that are smoked. Recently, the number of emergency room visits due to the drug has increased more than 200 percent.

“K2 is a threat to the health and safety of New York City, and we must take decisive action,” said Borough President Eric L. Adams at a recent press conference. “This is not a plant. This is not marijuana. This is a dangerous chemical that is being used to distort the behavior of everyday Brooklynites, and it’s something that we want to see off our streets immediately.”

Last week, Mayor de Blasio announced a multi-agency task force in order to curtail sales of K2. The task force working in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration seized about more than $17 million of K2 in July. Law enforcement also busted a large Bronx-based K2 ring last week, seizing 2 million packets of the drug.