This is not from a novel, this is from The NEJM.

On July 12, 2016, the New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was dispatched to the scene of a multiple-casualty incident in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. First responders reported that there were multiple persons at the scene, all of whom had a degree of altered mental status that was described by bystanders as “zombielike.” Subsequent media reports of the outbreak on July 12, 2016, identified 33 persons exposed to an unknown drug, of whom 18 (number confirmed by law enforcement) were transported to two local medical centers. The ages of the persons requiring transport were 25 to 59 years (mean, 36.8 years), and all the persons were male. Eight of the persons identified themselves to emergency medical staff as homeless.

The clinical features in this outbreak were typified by the index patient, a man who was 28 years of age and who was described by EMS providers at the scene as being slow to respond to questioning and as having a “blank stare.” Prehospitalization interventions included the administration of supplemental oxygen and cardiac monitoring. In the emergency department, the patient was lethargic but arousable to tactile stimuli. His heart rate was 88 beats per minute, blood pressure 101/61 mm Hg, respiratory rate 21 breaths per minute, body temperature 36.7°C (98°F) orally, and oxygen saturation 95% while he was breathing ambient air. Physical examination revealed no evidence of trauma. The pupils in both eyes were 4 mm and reactive; there was no facial asymmetry or excessive salivation noted. The patient was sweating. His lungs were clear to auscultation, and his heart sounds were normal. His bowel sounds were normoactive, and a skin examination revealed no evidence of excessive sweating, flushing, or lesions. The patient had no focal neurologic findings and no hyperreflexia or increased muscle tone. His overall score on the Glasgow Coma Scale was 13 (scores range from 3 to 15, with 15 being normal); his scores for eye response and for verbal response were 4, and his score for motor response was 5. He had intermittent periods of “zombielike” groaning and slow mechanical movements of the arms and legs.

Laboratory analysis, including a complete blood count, a comprehensive metabolic panel, urinalysis, and a urine immunoassay screening test for amphetamines, cocaine, phencyclidine, opiates, methadone, THC, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, and serum ethanol level revealed no abnormalities. An electrocardiogram showed a normal sinus rhythm without evidence of acute myocardial injury or conduction abnormalities. Normal results of routine laboratory testing were found in the other seven patients who were treated at the same hospital.

The patient was placed in the observation unit; his lethargy resolved and his behavior normalized approximately 9 hours after his arrival. He offered no further clarifying history other than to confirm a first-time inhalational exposure to the substance contained in a packet, and he was discharged.

Axel J. Adams, B.S., Samuel D. Banister, Ph.D., Lisandro Irizarry, M.D., Jordan Trecki, Ph.D., Michael Schwartz, M.D., M.P.H., and Roy Gerona, Ph.D.
“Zombie” Outbreak Caused by the Synthetic Cannabinoid AMB-FUBINACA in New York. N Engl J Med 2017; 376:235-242January 19, 2017DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1610300

A novel synthetic cannabaloid, AMB-FUNICA, wsas found in the samples of synthetic cannabis obtained from the recovered patients. This is different from our local experience, where such substances caused aggression, and the regulations for them was made so tight that they are functionaly banned.

And such things are not only in New York.

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See also:

Glue P, Courts J, MacDonald M, Gale C, Mason E. Implementation of the 2013 Psychoactive Substances Act and mental health harms from synthetic cannabinoids. N Z Med J. 2015 May 15;128(1414):15-8. PubMed PMID: 26117386.

Glue P, Al-Shaqsi S, Hancock D, Gale C, Strong B, Schep L. Hospitalisation associated with use of the synthetic cannabinoid K2. N Z Med J. 2013 Jun 28;126(1377):18-23. PubMed PMID: 23831873.