WASHINGTON -- In the District, nearly 200 people overdosed on the synthetic drug known as K2 in one week.
Police are now warning about another potentially deadly batch.
"It's just so overwhelming and just to see my community dying from this kind of drug really bothers me," said Robin McKinney.
McKinney pushes for K2 awareness through her program "Kill- 2".
They spend Saturday afternoon passing out anything from food to shampoo along with information on drugs like synthetic marijuana.
"I have people walk up to me and say 'I want help,'" said McKinney. "Not everybody here uses drugs. Some people do. Some people don't."
McKinney's advocacy is not purely from her good heart. For her, it is personal.
"I remember that feeling like it was yesterday," McKinney recalled. "When I received that phone call that my child was in the hospital. It was a call that no parent will ever want to get."
That was three years ago.
"I really don't see a difference to be honest," she said.
McKinney said she thinks the drug epidemic has not changed over the years.
The spike in K2 overdoses is nothing new for this year. There was also another one back in July.
In that outbreak -- more than 200 people were taken to the hospital for overdoses. Three died.
From mid-July though September, D.C. medics responded to 1,116 overdoses.
Since July, the numbers were going down until mid-September.
From Sunday to Friday, there were 193 overdoses.
Synthetic Marijuana only costs a few dollars, and it's dangerous because you're never really sure what's in it and how it will affect you.
"The people that are selling it need to be held accountable," McKinney said. "Number two come do an assessment. See the needs of the people that in here. I won't stop bring information to the community concerning the synthetic drug K2 and any other drug."
Anyone who wants to volunteer their time or resources can email robin.s.mckinney@gmail.com or reach out to Robin McKinney on Facebook.
