Schoolkids are unknowingly smoking vapes filled with ‘zombie drug’ spice

More than one in 10 vapes seized at schools contain a popular drug known as spice that is putting children in the hospital.

Vaping, also called juuling, has been growing in popularity among school children for years.

But 13% of the nearly 2,000 vape liquids from 114 secondary schools in England contained spice, according to a preprint of a new study, seen by Metro.

The figure was around one in four in Lancashire and London.

Many of today’s most popular vaping devices look like toys, with their sweet-coloured shades and fruity flavours hooking a new generation of smokers, officials and experts have long warned.

But how some vapes containing spice are falling into the hands of children is alarming, the researchers said.

Spice, the street name for a family of synthetic substances that mimic the effects of marijuana, can cause anxiety, delusions and even death, giving it the nickname, ‘zombie drug’.

These spice-laced liquids are readily available online, the researchers found, but young people have no idea they contain the drug.

Sellers flog vapes on social media as containing THC, the high-inducing chemical in marijuana, when they actually contain spice.

Social media platforms popular with young people had a higher percentage of these adverts:

• 67.5% on TikTok
• 54.2% on Instagram
• 12% on Facebook

Sellers ‘prey’ on young people, who are likely unable to distinguish a vape containing THC from spice, the paper added.

Spice is ‘endemic in the UK prison system’, warned the study’s lead author, Professor Christopher Pudney, of the University of Bath, to Metro.

He said: ‘People compare withdrawal from spice to heroin withdrawal and it can cause psychosis, seizures, and heart problems.

‘Many children have ended up in hospital after vaping spice.

‘Spice is incredibly addictive, and so outside of the acute health harm, being addicted to such a potent drug puts young people at risk of being coerced into crime and being abused.’

Kelly, not her real name, told Sky News her son was made to use a vape cartridge containing vape by bullies – he collapsed after.

She said: ‘He did say he was hallucinating. That he was in water, it felt like he was in water.’

Why dealers are turning to spice is simple, Professor Pudney said: costs.

‘Spice is very cheap. Children are sold it as a cannabis or THC vape liquid, but these are expensive (£60), whereas spice is maybe only £2,’ he said.

Of the 1,923 vape devices confiscated by schools, just 1.2% contained THC.

A smaller version of today’s study, also conducted by the University of Bath, previously found that one in six confiscated vapes contained spice.

Almost one in 10 secondary school children frequently use e-cigarettes, according to NHS figures.

Vapes are generally seen as less harmful than tobacco, since the aerosols that reach the lungs lack the tobacco-derived toxins inhaled by smokers.

Yet vaping devices can be addictive for young people and put them at risk of lung damage.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok have removed drug-dealing accounts from their platforms, stressing that the content is illegal.

OfCom confirmed to Metro it has launched investigations into 47 sites and apps promoting vapes.

The media regulator said that social media platforms must remove criminal content under the Online Safety Act, a child safety law.

Companies must proactively screen for objectionable material and judge whether it is illegal, or else be fined by Ofcom.

The regulator added to Metro: ‘It’s also important this happens alongside effective action from law enforcement against individuals selling illegal drugs online.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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