Milwaukee County medical examiner investigating death possibly related to synthetic marijuana

A 43-year-old man died shortly after smoking a synthetic cannabinoid called "Dead Man," the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said Friday.

Investigators are still waiting for the results of toxicology tests, but the medical examiner's office said the man, Kenneth Taylor, 43, appears to be the third Milwaukee County death linked to synthetic cannabinoids in less than a year. 

On Tuesday, Attorney General Brad Schimel announced the Wisconsin departments of justice and consumer protection were suing two Milwaukee retail stores for selling synthetic cannabinoids.

The suits ask the court to block the two stores — Atomic Glass, 1813 E. Locust St., and Food Town Mini Mart, 4790 N. Hopkins St. — from selling synthetic cannabinoids.

Synthetic cannabinoids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, refer to a growing number of man-made chemicals that are either sprayed on dried and shredded plant material and then smoked or sold as liquids that are inhaled through vaporizers.

They are called cannabinoids because they are related to the chemicals found in marijuana. They are sometimes called "synthetic marijuana" or "fake weed," which the institute says is misleading.

The drugs, it says, can affect the brain more powerfully than marijuana. While synthetic cannabinoids act on the same brain cell receptors as THC — the mind-altering ingredient in marijuana — some bind more strongly than THC. The results are unpredictable and can be life threatening, the institute says.

According to a medical examiner's report, Taylor's girlfriend told investigators that on Thursday, she and Taylor had a few drinks in their near north side home then smoked "K2," which is both a brand and a generic street name for synthetic cannabinoids.

Taylor fell asleep seated on a kitchen chair and stopped breathing, the girlfriend said. Investigators found an empty foil package for the synthetic cannabinoid "Dead Man" on the kitchen table.

In January, 46-year-old Deborah Ann Boone died in her father's Wauwatosa home after mixing a synthetic cannabinoid with alcohol and a sedative, according to a medical examiner's report.

In October 2016, 21-year-old Logan Timothy Konzal died of acute synthetic cannabinoid intoxication while passed out in the passenger's seat of a car parked in front of a friend's Milwaukee home.