What do you know about New Haven Overdoses Tied to Laced K2?

More than 70 people overdosed in the city during a 24-hour span, beginning Tuesday evening, and the authorities said they suspect a virulent batch of synthetic marijuana, possibly laced with an opioid, was the cause. 

I believe this is important to the course because for me It was something that happened close to home and K2 and synthetic drugs are becoming a larger issue and when it starts happening 20 minutes from where you grew as a child it is concerning. 

Synthetic cannabinoids are the fastest growing class of NPS with over 177 identified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.4 While a few screening assays for detecting synthetic cannabinoids exist, the rapid development of NPS makes it very difficult for clinical laboratories to detect them using traditional screening and confirmatory methods. 

Winston A. New Haven Overdoses Tied to Laced K2. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/nyregion/new-haven-overdose-k2.html. Accessed August 23, 2019.