Acute carotid thrombosis and ischemic stroke following overdose of the synthetic cannabinoid K2 in a previously healthy young adult male

Abstract With the popularity of synthetic cannabinoid street drugs such as “K2 and Spice,” a number of serious neurologic adverse events are coming to light. This case is a 36-year-old African American man, with no significant medical history, who presented with extensive left cervical and intracranial internal carotid artery occlusion and subsequent ischemic stroke. The patient endorsed smoking K2—a synthetic cannabinoid (SC) with structural similarity to cannabis. The mechanism by which SC abuse induces a prothrombotic state leading to ischemic