After Raid, Twin Cities K2 Overdoses Leveling Off

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Local health officials say the number of overdoses on K2 has leveled off.

It comes after police raid in a Twin Cities hotel from a tip about someone selling the synthetic drug. Hennepin County Medical Center officials say over a weekend, there are one or two cases per day of K2 overdoses, which is a normal rate.

During the outbreak earlier this month, they had 20 in one day.

Police are only saying that it is still an active investigation. WCCO obtained a search warrant for that raid at a hotel in Brooklyn Center. Police got a tip that someone was selling K2 that caused dozens to overdose.

A search warrant shows an informant told police someone was selling "dirty K2" at the Norwood Inn & Suites in Brooklyn Center earlier this month. That, they said, caused dozens to overdose.

At HCMC, physicians saw an outbreak of more than 100 cases over a period of seven days.

"It was an extraordinary number of cases in a very short time," Dr. Jon Cole with HCMC said.

Dr. Jon Cole is the medical director for the Minnesota Poison Control System. He says K2, discovered less than a decade ago, has become more popular because it creates unique symptoms not associated with traditional marijuana.

Treating someone who has overdosed on K2 can also be challenging.

"There is not a drug that I can give to reverse what is going on," Dr. Cole said.

"I have life-long effects from it," Kyle Donovan said.

Kyle Donavan turned to K2 several years ago because he thought it would go undetected by a drug test. He overdosed at 22 years old.

"I woke up in the hospital a few days later in a coma. I'm like 'Oh crap what did I do?'" Donovan said.

Symptoms of K2 overdosing range from kidney damage to high blood pressure and seizures. Kyle still has seizures today.

He shares his story in hopes others will think twice before using the synthetic drug.

"I'm lucky to be alive. Lucky to have a family that was there to support me," Donovan said.

The search warrant says the man that was allegedly selling the K2 out of the hotel is 44 years old. We are not naming him because he has not been arrested.

Kyle did end up getting help at a treatment program and has been clean since.