Kidney Failure Cases in Wyoming Linked to Spice Drug

Recently in Wyoming, there have been three young people all hospitalized because of kidney failure due to an outbreak that is linked to the drug Spice. Authorities there say the designer drug has caused quite an outbreak in the area and many Casper residents have sought treatment for medical issues ranging from back pain to vomiting.

All cases involved, recently smoked or ingested herbal products packaged as “blueberry spice” says a recent online post. Many hospitals and physicians in east central Wyoming reported illnesses that caused quite a cluster of problems and alarmed various health officials there.

Wyoming epidemiologist, Tracy Murphy, says they are currently viewing the situation as life-threatening. All those who have become ill ranged in age from late teens through early 20s and they had all used the blueberry spice flavored herbal product.

Health departments, clinics and other medical facilities have all posted warnings to the drugs’ symptoms, while telling of symptoms that include kidney malfunction. Authorities there are now scrambling to uncover the compounds that were in the batch suspected in the recent incidents.

While the small Wyoming town only includes 55,000 residents, the outbreak has caused great concern among officials. The drug Spice is often sold as legal marijuana because it is derived from a plant material and then covered with chemicals to mimic the active ingredient from marijuana.

The DEA has tracked reports from hospitals, law enforcement and poison control centers showing the numbers have skyrocketed regarding Spice usage since 2009. There has been a ban from the DEA on five chemicals making up some of the spice mixtures that cause it to be illegal.

There are currently several bans on Spice already in place in states such as Wyoming but manufacturers are quickly adjusting recipes to continue to make new compounds. Spice is quite a lucrative business that unfortunately markets our youth.