A recent news posting by the Boston Tribune this past Tuesday is now gaining buzz after it claimed that four people died and that 49 people were hospitalized in Colorado from consuming bad weed. What the Boston Tribune failed to mention early in the post was that investigating officials discovered the company behind the weed, Rite Greens L.L.C marijuana, were adding a variety of synthetic cannabinoids to their products as of October 1st 2016.
Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division issued a statement through a spokesperson claiming that the Boston Tribune is known for “satirical” news and told the Huffington Post that that any public health and safety advisories can be found on its website and that the recall has not been reported to the agency.
A posting on the company's website and Facebook page claimed that it was only temporary.
After the news article was released it was shared thousands of times on Facebook, causing outrage from commenters about misinformation in the article. The Huffington Post claimed it had emailed Rite Greens L.L.C marijuana but did not receive an immediate reply and that the businesses’ listed address is in an abandoned parking lot in Denver.
The dangers of synthetic marijuana are well known and have a history of making people sick with potentially fatal results from its consumption. There have been no overdose deaths from marijuana. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have found synthetic cannabinoids to have an adverse effect on health, partially due to it's potency. According to the CDC, “Synthetic cannabinoids are two to 100 times more potent than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis.”
