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Hundreds of Poles hospitalised after using designer drugs

Over 330 people have been poisoned in the southern Polish region of Silesia after using designer drugs.

Most have used the drug sold on the Polish market as Mocarz (“the Mighty One”). “The drug has been on the Polish market for some years, although it is only now that it has caused so much damage,” Artur Malczewski from the National Bureau for Drug Prevention told Radio Poland. The reason behind the sudden spike in casualties is twofold, Malczewski explained. Firstly because of the introduction of a new law making many of these substances illegal in Poland, producers increased the dose in the products to get rid of inventory. In order to avoid being caught by authorities selling such products following the law’s introduction on 1 July, shops also sold them for as little as PLN 4-5 (EUR 1-1.25), Malczewski said.

The drug authorities that have been investigating the composition of these designer drugs – which look like loose leaf green tea and can be smoked like marijuana – found they are laced with a synthetic cannabinoid that is up to 800-times stronger than marijuana.

Hundreds of Poles hospitalised after using designer drugs