HARTFORD, Conn. (WCBS 880) -- Connecticut officials have issued a warning to residents about marijuana laced with fentanyl after several overdose reports in the state in just the last few months.
The Connecticut Department of Health said from July through Oct. 26, the state recorded 39 cases of people exhibiting overdose symptoms who said they had only smoked marijuana.
In the first 26 days of October, the state saw 10 cases of people who said they only smoked marijuana, but required the use of naloxone. There were 11 such cases in July, and nine each in August and September.
According to health officials, the cases were spread throughout the state, and no patterns in specific areas were immediately noted.
In early October, Plymouth police recovered a sample of the marijuana used in a possible overdose. A state forensic lab confirmed that the marijuana tested positive for containing fentanyl.
“This is the first lab-confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani.
State officials strongly advised workers in the public health or harm reduction settings to educate clients who use marijuana about the possible dangers of fentanyl. They also recommended anyone using illicitly obtained substances to know the signs of an overdose and to have naloxone on hand.