Leipzig, Germany - Cannabis mysteriously laced with lead has made 19 people ill in the German city of Leipzig, police said Wednesday, issuing a warning to drug abusers to be on their guard against tainted marijuana. A federal police laboratory has confirmed a high level of lead in the dried leaf, while doctors have found dangerous concentrations in the blood of the 19 abusers.
No one knows where it came from. An inquiry has begun with an appeal to dealers and users to have their stocks tested at the nearest police station.
Senior detective Uwe Matthias said prosecuting the users would be "non-priority." Asked if this meant an amnesty, he said authorities could not issue a guarantee to let them off.
The users had well over 2,000 micrograms of lead per litre of blood: the safe level is 300 and a level of 800 presages sickness. Symptoms of lead poisoning include cramps, abdominal pain and high blood pressure.
