Investigators say that the 16-year-old who jumped from the third story of a parking garage at Willow Grove Mall Wednesday night had smoked synthetic marijuana that made him hallucinate.
The fake pot the teen was allegedly smoking – called “fusion” -- is legal.
The teen was smoking the fake marijuana, which is often marketed as incense, with a group of friends and driving around the mall, police say. The 16-year-old suddenly jumped out of the car and leaped from the top level of the mall parking garage, police in Montgomery County tell NBC Philadelphia.
The Upper Moreland High School student, whose name has not been officially released, is being treated for multiple broken bones and internal injuries at Abington Hospital, according to authorities.
Synthetic drugs are currently legal in Pennsylvania. However, a bill that would ban synthetic drugs based on their chemical structure is reportedly heading to Governor Tom Corbett's desk. The bill would make bath salts and "fusion" illegal.
"We think if they're synthetic, they're not real which means they can't be dangerous," said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri.
"And that's just a complete fake out because these things are dangerous. They're chemical compounds that are designed to mimic the exact effects of these very dangerous narcotics."
