Synthetic pot suspected in downstate student’s illness

WARRENSBURG, Ill. — Authorities in central Illinois suspect synthetic marijuana made a teenager severely ill.

Macon County Sheriff Thomas Schneider says the student smoked synthetic marijuana before school Thursday at Warrensburg-Latham High School in Warrensburg. The town is about 10 miles northwest of Decatur.

Schneider tells The Herald & Review newspaper in Decatur the student was treated for vomiting, dizziness, possible seizures, incoherence and abdominal pains. Information about the student’s condition was not immediately available.

Synthetic marijuana is often sold in stores under names such as “K2” and “Head Trip.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has made some of the product’s ingredients illegal based on increases in medical emergencies caused by its use. Chicago has banned sales, and a state law, taking effect Jan. 1, makes possession or sale a felony.