Hospitals in Alabama are reporting a higher number of hospitalizations of patients experiencing symptoms after smoking or ingesting synthetic cannabinoids known as Spice.

On Thursday, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported 462 patients from March 15 through April 20 who visited hospitals in the past month after ingesting Spice. Ninety-six were hospitalized and of them died.

Dr. Mary G. McIntyre, Alabama’s Assistant State Health Officer for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urged citizens not take the risk by using these products. According to him, responses to these chemicals can be unpredictable and deadly.

Some of the effects experienced by users include coma, kidney failure, and heart attacks. The health department said, “The designer drug substances consist of dried plant material sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids and any mixture of other unknown chemicals including pesticides and rat poison”.

Spice is just a chemical sprayed on something smokable. Its ingredients can also be changed quickly and easily. In Alabama, the drug has dozens of different names. These include Spice, K2, Sence, Genie, Zohai, Yucatan Fire, Smoke, Sexy Monkey, Black Mamba and Skunk.

These chemicals compounds reported stimulate the same brain areas affected by marijuana. However, they have a high potential for abuse. Users can go for marijuana alternatives as they believe they are safe.

In Tuscaloosa, hospitals reported 24 Spice overdoses, which include one death and others on life support.

In the city of Fairfield, on the other side of the state near Anniston, officials reported four suspected Spice overdoses in just six hours on Monday. New York has also recently reported an increase in Spice overdoses.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the drug was first reported here in December 2008. The federal government identified two new types of Spice following that year. By 2012, that number had swelled to 51.