12 teens hospitalized after taking illegal synthetic cannabinoid drug

Police arrest two men suspected of distributing drug cocktail; banned from Israel in 2011, ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ known to cause dizziness, vomiting and hallucinations

Twelve teens were hospitalized over the weekend in medical centers in the north of the country after taking a dangerous synthetic illegal drug cocktail commonly known as “Mr. Nice Guy.”

The synthetic psychoactive cannabinoid that once dominated Tel Aviv’s streets was suspected to have been taken with anticoagulants aimed at getting the drug around the body faster.

The teens, some of who remain in hospital, were all admitted with dizziness, vomiting and hallucinations, all known side effects of the drug.

In response to the incident, the police and the Health Ministry opened a joint investigation and have so far arrested two men in the Haifa area suspected of distributing the drug.

In 2011, “Mr. Nice Guy” and other synthetic cannaboids, which became increasingly popular in Israel, were banned. They had previously been approved by the health and welfare committee in the Knesset.