'You can die:' Sheriff's officials see trend -- people smoking marijuana soaked in embalming fluid
DAVENPORT, Fla. -- A little before 4 a.m., a 2-year-old boy was found wandering almost into the street near a Florida Waffle House restaurant, and when deputies arrived, they arrested the boy's father, Reginald Gray, who was wandering along the roadway as well.
"And what dos his girlfriend say? 'You know, when he smokes that marijuana soaked in embalming fluid, he does really retarded things.' That was her quote to us," said Grady Judd, Polk County sheriff.
Gray was arrested, and sheriff's officials said it's not just him seeking this potentially deadly high.
A 20-something man we'll call Sico said his friends have tried it.
"I have known people to hallucinate. I have also seen people almost lose control of their body... seizures. I have seen people constantly vomit and get sick," he said.
Experts say the main ingredient in embalming fluid, formaldehyde, can cause nose, lung or brain cancer. Even smelling it can put you at risk.
Sheriff Judd said it's incredibly dangerous.
"If you smoke enough marijuana that has been soaked in embalming fluid, you can die. Of course, they wouldn't have to embalm you maybe," Sheriff Judd said.