HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) – Health officials in Connecticut are issuing a warning about fentanyl-laced marijuana which is being eyed in a rash of overdoses throughout the state.
Since July, 39 overdoses requiring the use of naloxone for revival have been reported. In each of the cases, the person involved said they had only smoked marijuana, but officials said they exhibited opioid symptoms.
A cluster of cases was reported in October in Plymouth, though officials say incidents have been dispersed across the state. A lab test of some of the marijuana used in one of the Plymouth cases confirmed the presence of fentanyl, a potent and potentially deadly opioid.
“This is the first lab-confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani.