On December 10, 2018, the CDC issued a health update on a multistate outbreak of serious bleeding linked to synthetic cannabinoid products, sometimes called fake weed. The products contained brodifacoum, a long-acting blood thinner used as rat poison. The update followed the first CDC advisory on May 25, 2018.
Since the first patient was found in Illinois in March 2018, at least 324 people had gone to health care facilities with serious bleeding. One of the cases was in West Virginia. Lab tests confirmed brodifacoum in at least 150 patients, and at least eight people had died. Vitamin K1 remained the recommended treatment.
The update described two new problems. Some patients had higher brodifacoum levels at follow-up visits, which suggested they had used the products again during treatment. At least one patient became pregnant during treatment, which put both mother and baby at risk of serious bleeding.
The CDC advised clinicians to ask patients about continued use, to test blood levels during follow-up, and to report possible cases to the local or state health department. It told the public not to use synthetic cannabinoid products.
This guidance is from December 2018. It is kept here as a record and is not current advice. Check current guidance from the CDC or your doctor.