Synthetic pot cited in rash of overdoses
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Forty-six people overdosed Wednesday from a suspected bad batch of "K2" synthetic marijuana at or near a city park in Connecticut. No deaths were reported, but officials said two people had life-threatening symptoms.
Most of the overdoses were on New Haven Green, a popular, historic downtown park that borders part of Yale University, and officials expected the overdose total to increase. Police said they arrested a man believed to be connected to at least some of the overdoses.
"Do not come down to the Green and purchase this K2," city Police Chief Anthony Campbell said in an interview. "It is taking people out very quickly, people having respiratory failure. Don't put your life in harm."
Paramedics and police officers were stationed at the park all day as more people fell ill. Some became unconscious and others became nauseated, authorities said. Emergency responders rushed Wednesday morning to one victim as officials were giving a news conference nearby.
Police did not immediately release the name of the man who was arrested, saying they were waiting for victims to positively identify him.
Synthetic marijuana, which generally is plant material sprayed with chemicals that mimic the high from real marijuana, has been blamed for overdoses across the country.
State fears harm in cannabis-rules delay
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma's Health Department has warned a judge that the public will be harmed if the state can't implement key rules on medical marijuana.
The agency on Tuesday listed eight potential dangers to the public if the new rules aren't enforced, including the risk of selling contaminated food and drug products.
The warning came in response to an Aug. 7 legal petition asking for an emergency injunction on more than 20 medical-marijuana rules signed by Gov. Mary Fallin a day earlier. The Board of Health adopted new guidelines Aug. 1 after rules hastily adopted last month came under harsh criticism from Attorney General Mike Hunter and medical-marijuana advocates who said the board overstepped its authority.
Rachel Bussett, an attorney for eight petitioners who are prospective medical-marijuana patients and business operators, called the amended rules "an even bigger regulatory dumpster fire than its predecessor." She said requiring growers to adhere to restaurant-level hygiene and cleanliness standards has "potentially made any outdoor commercial cultivation an impossibility."
In June, voters approved legalizing medical marijuana in the state. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is scheduled to begin receiving and processing license applications Aug. 25.
Open burning of ammo draws inquiry
RADFORD, Va. -- The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Defense is investigating the open burning of ammunition and explosives at military sites across the country, including at an Army ammunition plant in Virginia.
The inquiry was prompted by a congressional request and comes about a year after a lengthy investigation by ProPublica into the military's practice of open burning.
The inspector general's office said in a memo that the inquiry will evaluate Defense Department compliance with "relevant environmental and related laws, inter-agency and municipal agreements, and policy." The investigation also will evaluate oversight of contractors performing open burning.
The Radford Army Ammunition Plant in southwest Virginia is the main propellant-manufacturing facility for the Defense Department. While open burns to dispose of hazardous waste are legally permitted, concerns have been raised about effects on the environment and human health.
Justine Barati, director of public and congressional affairs for the Army's Joint Munitions Command, said Wednesday that the plant had been contacted by the inspector general's office and asked for a copy of its permit and open burning ground standard operating procedures.
Father, son die as rains swamp 2 states
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A strong storm system moving across the central Plains left a father and son dead in Kansas, damaged roads in Oklahoma and led to several water rescues in both states.
Montgomery County, Kan., Sheriff Bobby Dierks said Wednesday that Dennis Clark Catron Sr., 72, and Dennis Clark Catron Jr., 39, both of Elk City, drowned Tuesday night when their vehicle was swept off a road into an overflowing creek. Their bodies were found inside the vehicle.
Rains also damaged the shoulder of Interstate 44 in southwestern Oklahoma City, according to Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Lisa Shearer-Salim, and officials in the college town of Norman said a portion of the city's Main Street buckled under the onslaught of rain.
The storm in Oklahoma produced 5.06 inches of rain at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, breaking the record of 4.62 inches set on Aug. 11, 2008, according to forecaster Vivek Mahale with the National Weather Service.
A Section on 08/16/2018