A Connecticut teen was left ‘traumatized’ after her best friend poisoned her with fake weed, causing her to black out and suffer seizures.
Alexa Weinbaum, then 16, was at a party when her best friend since childhood handed her what she thought was marijuana in a bong.
It was actually a synthetic version that is 100 times more powerful than cannabis and has been linked to cases of psychosis.
Ms. Weinbaum, now 24, blacked out after one puff and said when she woke up she was being hit by her friends. When she finally broke free and ran into the street for help, she suffered a series of seizures.
Alexa Weinbaum, 24, of Connecticut was just 16 years old when her best friend of two years tried to kill her after she was invited to a male friend’s house to smoke marijuana.
In a psychotic state after being poisoned and beaten, Ms. Weinbaum ran into the street, screaming for help, eventually suffering a series of seizures and life-threatening cardiac events.
Ms. Weinbaum said that at that moment she was “just focused on surviving… I was terrified, I couldn’t process that at that moment.”
When she broke away from the others, she ran into the street outside to signal for help.
Finally, a neighbor called 911, as she fell to the ground and suffered several consecutive seizures.
She needed urgent medical attention, including oxygen, an IV and a series of scans of her brain and heart to check for more acute, permanent damage
The substance she inhaled was K2. Doctors said there were also opiates in her system, which were likely in the synthetic marijuana.
She was in the hospital for several days and then had regular visits for a few months for various physical and mental reasons.
Also known as a spice, K2 contains chemicals similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis, but much more potent.
It consists of herbs and shredded plant material that has been sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids, which the FDA has not tested for safety.
A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that about 19 percent of synthetic marijuana users had a seizure, compared to six percent of those who smoked cannabis.
In addition to causing psychosis, confusion, anxiety, seizures and a rapid heart rate, synthetic cannabis can cause fainting, kidney failure and reduced blood flow to the heart.
Heart problems haunted Ms. Weinbaum for years after the attack.
She is unsure why her friend attacked her, but later found out that the friend had been groomed by the older man who handed her the poison.
Mrs. Weinbaum believes they plotted to kill her.
She said: ‘It’s so complicated because although I’m still angry, I’ve also come to understand that she was also a victim of grooming and abuse.’
She believed the attack may also have been related to an abusive relationship with the friend’s brother. He had threatened to kill Ms. Weinbaum in the past, but she ultimately managed to end the relationship.
Since the attack, she has shared her story of healing from trauma and started a career as an advocate for crime victims.
She founded Sound of survivorsdescribed as “a platform dedicated to promoting ongoing discussions among survivors and providing essential resources to aid in their healing process.”
The attack was not the end. The people involved blackmailed her.
She said: ‘I don’t know exactly how many people blackmailed me as some were done anonymously, but the people in the room that day and the people they knew, as well as other people who wanted to keep me quiet for their own interests. .
‘I was told that if I said anything, explicit photos of me would be shared, that I would be killed, that my family would be hurt, that they would pin the whole thing on me and that I would get in trouble .’
The people she said carried out the attack had not been convicted of a crime, although they were criminally charged.