Ambulance officers called for urgent police backup in Dunedin on Saturday when they were confronted by two incoherent and aggressive men high on the synthetic cannabis product K2.
The men were with a group of people drinking at a Castle St flat who say K2 should be made illegal after it turned their party sour, and sent a couple of mates to hospital.
The two men had calmed down by the time three police patrols arrived at the flat about 2.30pm.
The men were released from Dunedin Hospital later that night, but the experience was still fresh in their friends' minds yesterday.
University of Otago student Kieran Burt, of the Kapiti Coast, said the two men were visitors to his flat where 10 people were playing games on Saturday afternoon.
As part of one of the games, everyone had to try some K2.
None had previously tried it, and two friends reacted badly immediately after their first puff, Mr Burt said.
"At first we thought [one of them] was joking, but then it all got scary."
When the man started screaming, yelling random words and vomiting over himself, they called an ambulance.
Another friend, who left the flat immediately after smoking the drug, was found outside highly distressed.
"He thought he was dead and was found on Leith St crying."
Fellow flatmate and second-year student Lachy Davidson said he and flatmate Mitch Zandstra, both of Tauranga, vomited immediately after they inhaled the K2.
"I lost my cheese. I felt like I was in another world. I thought I was going to be like that forever."
The four flatmates, including Harry Schaumann, of Dunedin, agreed they would never try K2 again.
"It shouldn't be legal," Mr Davidson said.
Sergeant Ben Butterfield, of Dunedin, said two of the men looked "very unwell" when police arrived.
They told officers they had drunk "a little bit" of alcohol, but had only one puff of K2 before they started to feel unwell.
Incidents such as this were becoming "a fairly regular occurrence", Sgt Butterfield said.
"They behave erratically, aggressively, out of character.
"People are putting their lives at risk by smoking this."
People also risked serious police charges if their behaviour while under the influence led to an assault or other crime, he said.
"They're still liable for their actions. Don't smoke it."
Late last month Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne confirmed K2 was being tested by the Ministry of Health and police because of concerns it was causing serious behavioural problems.
"We already have 28 substances under temporary class drug notices, and that has taken more than 50 synthetic cannabis products off the market, and as they come up we take steps to test them, and if they are unsafe, we ban them," Mr Dunne said at the time.
Mr Dunne's spokesman said yesterday the status of the tests would be checked today.
