Wave of 'spice' poisonings sweeps across Russia

While many countries in the world are trying to handle the danger of Ebola fever, Russia is suffering from mass poisonings caused by a new kind of "spice" - a drug from the category of smoking blends. Spice poisonings, including with lethal outcomes, were reported in Chuvashia republic, the Ivanovo region, St. Petersburg and Yugra.

In Chuvashia, as many as 61 people asked for medical help on September 24-30. All of them had "symptoms of poisoning of various etiologies," medical specialists said. Fifteen patients were hospitalized.

According to investigators, one of the patients, a 32-year-old resident of the city of Cheboksary, died "after consuming an unknown substance of gray-green color that did not meet safety requirements."

Medics said that 20 of Chuvashia residents, who sought medical help, had signs of poisoning with psychotropic substance. Four victims suffered from a new psychoactive substance (MDMB (N) BZ-F), which was confirmed by laboratory tests.

On September 24-28, there were 40 ambulance calls in connection with the use of  "spice" blends. The victims, who suffered from the drug, were young people aged 18-21 years. Two drug dealers were arrested, Mir24 news agency reports.

In St. Petersburg, a 16-year-old suffered from "spice" poisoning. According to preliminary information, the young man could buy smoking blends at school, LifeNews says.

In Khanty-Mansiysk, an EMERCOM employee stabbed himself several times after smoking "spice". The man, who worked as a driver of a fire brigade, was found in his own apartment. According to investigators, the man was smoking "spice" with his friends and then stabbed himself in the chest. He was hospitalized.

Earlier, it was reported that seven people died from poisoning by smoking in Surgut. Thirty-seven people remain at hospitals.

In the Ivanovo region, six teenagers were rushed to hospital with similar symptoms. One of the patients, a young woman, was in a coma. Currently, the children recover, their condition stabilized, but all of them still remain at hospital with a diagnosis of "acute poisoning by smoking."

In the Kirov region of Russia, 213 local residents suffered from smoking "spice," five of them subsequently died.

In Smolensk, a young man was arrested, who received a parcel containing a kilogram of chemicals, from which one could make smoking blends worth 6 million rubles, Interfax reports. The man was arrested at the time of receiving the package that contained white powder. According to representatives of the Federal Drug Control Service in the Smolensk region, the seized amount of the chemical could be used for the production of about ten kilos of smoking blends, or about 20,000 individual doses worth 6 million rubles.

"Spice" shows strong influence on the human body. Patients suffer from dizziness, increased blood pressure, agitation, causeless alarm.