E-CIG FEARS
Inside chilling rise of ‘zombie’ vapes used by kids as young as TWELVE in school – as youngster left fighting for life
The drug-laced vapes can cause paralysis, seizures, paranoia and psychosis
"ZOMBIE" vapes are being used by kids as young as twelve in school - with one youngster left fighting for their life.
Five teens aged 14 to 16 were rushed to hospital in Eltham, south east London after puffing on a vape laced with the drug Spice.
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One of the youngsters was put into an induced coma after the group suffered a reduced level of consciousness, vomiting and confusion.
All five teens are thought to have recovered since emergency services were called on January 29, the reports.
They had reportedly used a rechargeable vape pen containing blue liquid in a silver and black cartridge labelled Vaporesso.
It comes after two young people were taken ill after using a Spice-laced vape in Merton, south west London.
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The pair may not have know that the vape, labelled Lemonade Vape Cookies, contained Spice.
Lab-made drug Spice was designed to mimic the effects of cannabis, but can have very different effects.
Symptoms include dizziness, breathing difficulties, chest pain, heart palpitations, seizures, temporary paralysis.
The drug has also been linked to paranoia, suicidal thoughts, psychosis and acute kidney injuries.
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It has been nicknamed the “zombie drug”, with some of the poorest parts of Britain seeing streets littered with near-unconscious addicts.
Cops fear that Spice is now sweeping schools across the UK after reports of kids collapsing in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire and Wales.
E-cigarette liquid mixed with synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists — Spice's official name —or SCRAs were spotted in Wales, according to Public Health Wales.
Pupils as young as 12 were found to be using Spice-laced vapes in Selby, North Yorkshire.
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The latest data in Wales shows of the 196 samples of e-liquids that were tested last year, 75 contained SCRAs — more than a third.
All customers who had bought the e-liquids thought they were buying cannabis or CBD liquids, they said.
Professor Rick Lines, of Public Health Wales, said: “The increased risk of overdose from high potency drugs shouldn’t be underestimated.
“We are concerned that people may not be getting what they think they are getting, when they buy drugs online.
“Prescription drugs should only ever be obtained from a GP.
What are the health risks of 'Spice'?
Many people experience unpleasant and unpredictable effects and health risks after taking synthetic cannabinoids.
These include:
- inability to move
- dizziness
- breathing difficulties
- chest pain
- heart palpitations
- seizures
- extreme anxiety
- paranoia
- suicidal thoughts
- psychosis
- gastrointestinal issues – like vomiting or diarrhoea
- acute kidney injury
Source:
“The risk of fatal overdoses is high from some of the samples we receive, especially when substances are used by those who don’t realise the risks they pose or when they are using them in combination with other substances.”
Spice is a nickname given to synthetic cannabinoids — lab-made drugs that were originally designed to mimic the effects of cannabis.
The drugs are much more harmful and unpredictable than cannabis and come as a powdered chemical that is dissolved or sprayed onto paper or dried plant material usually, according to the NHS.
Risks include making users unable to move, as well as causing dizziness, breathing difficulties, chest pain, heart palpitations and seizures.
The charity Change Grow Live reported five people became seriously ill in the capital “after vaping from a ‘Vaporesso’ branded pen containing blue liquid in a silver and black cartridge”.
A spokesperson said: “In a separate incident people became ill after using a vape labelled ‘Lemonade Vape Cookies’.”
Both vapes contained Spice, according to the charity.
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A government spokesperson said: "Marketing vapes to children is unacceptable.
"We are cracking down on this by banning disposable vapes, restricting their flavours, and changing how and where they are displayed in shops."
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