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EYEWITNESS LOCAL NEWS
DRUG CHEMICAL IDENTIFIEDfrom Eyewitness News Online Charleston Overdoses Now Number Nearly A Dozen Reported by:  Jeff MorrisWeb Producer: Jeff Morris Reported: Aug. 15, 2012 8:59 AM EDT Updated: Aug. 17, 2012 5:25 PM EDT
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The number of overdoses from a new drug that is hitting the streets of Charleston has now grown to about a dozen cases, city police said. Initially the drug was thought to be orange crack cocaine, but police say the drug is actually a concentrated chemical used to make synthetic pot. The substance is illegal in the United States. The rash of drug overdoses began Tuesday at an apartment on McClung Street, right behind the 7-Eleven convenience store. Three people in that incident, two men and a woman, were rushed to the hospital. Paramedics have said the victims in some of the overdoses have suffered respiratory distress, and a number of those affected had to be put on ventilators. Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for further updates. Preliminary test results show that a powdered form of synthetic marijuana may be the cause of a rash of crack overdoses in the capital city earlier this week. Investigators say a 9th person has overdosed on orange colored crack cocaine. Drug unit officers say a test on recovered drugs appears to show the fake marijuana powder has been mixed in. Paramedics say whatever it is, it is shutting down the user's respiratory system. Six of those victims had to be put on ventilators. Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for more on this developing story. Detectives say it appears a 9th victim of tainted street drugs had an overdose Wednesday night in Charleston. Earlier eight people had reported life-threatening overdoses from apparently the same drug – orange-colored crack cocaine. Three people on Charleston's East End were rushed to the hospital after apparently overdosing on drugs Tuesday afternoon, police said. Paramedics say another five people have had life-threatening overdoses from the same drug in a 36-hour period. It appears to be orange-colored crack cocaine. The Tuesday incident tied up three of the city's four ambulances. It happened at an apartment on McClung Street, right behind the 7-Eleven convenience store. Two men and one woman in that apartment all took the same substance, police said. All three are expected to recover. Emergency workers say several of the victims have been unable to breath on their own. Charleston police and the Metro drug unit are investigating. Preliminary lab tests indicate a powder used to make synthetic marijuana may have been mixed with the drug and caused the medical problems. Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing story. Three people on Charleston's East End were rushed to the hospital after apparently overdosing on drugs Tuesday afternoon, police said. It happened about 2:30 p.m. at an apartment on McClung Street, right behind the 7-Eleven convenience store. Two men and one woman in that apartment all took the same substance, which so far has been unnamed, police said. All three are expected to be OK. Charleston police are investigating. Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing story. MORE NEWS FROM EYEWITNESS NEWS
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