CHICAGO — A third person who experienced severe bleeding after using synthetic marijuana has died in Illinois, health officials confirmed.

There are now 107 people in central Illinois and the Chicago area who experienced severe bleeding after using the synthetic pot, often called spice, K2 or fake weed, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“Each day we’ve seen the number of cases rise,” said director of the IDPH Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “Synthetic cannabinoids are unsafe. They are not regulated and people don’t know what chemicals may be in them, like rat poison. While efforts are underway to get the contaminated drugs out of circulation, it’s possible they could re-emerge. We urge people not to use synthetic cannabinoids now or ever.”

This death comes after three Chicago convenience store clerks were charged earlier this the month for allegedly selling the synthetic cannabinoids laced with the known rodent poison, according to police.

People who reported illness after taking the drugs said they coughed up blood, had blood in their urine, severe bloody noses, bleeding gums or internal bleeding, according to IDPH.

The department said that “numerous have tested positive for brodifacoum, a lethal anticoagulant often used in rat poison.”

The people who died were all men, two in their 20s and one in his 40s. One death occurred in the Chicago area, while two were in central Illinois.

Source: ABC News