Zombie drug vapes put five schoolchildren in hospital with one left in coma

11 February 2024 , 18:32

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The children took the spice using an cigarette (file image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Five school children were hospitalised, one comatose, after using a vape laced with the drug Spice.

Emergency services rushed to the scene as the pupils aged 14 to 16 suffered symptoms including a reduced level of consciousness, vomiting and confusion. One was put into an induced coma.

The five teens reportedly used a rechargeable vape pen containing blue liquid in a silver and black cartridge labelled Vaporesso.

All five children involved in the incident are thought to have since recovered. The emergency in Eltham, South East London on January 29 came after alerts in recent months of youngsters using vapes laced with Spice.

The Mirror can also reveal two young people were harmed after using a Spice-laced vape labelled Lemonade Vape Cookies in a separate incident earlier last month in Merton, South West London.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

But the teens using Spice, called a zombie drug because of the effect it produces in users, may not have known what was in their vapes.

Spice is called a zombie drug because of the effect it produces in users (Collect)

The Welsh Emerging Drugs and Identification of Novel Substances service said last week that all customers known to have bought Spice-laced e-cigarettes last year thought they contained cannabis or CBD liquids. Lab-made drug Spice was designed to mimic the effects of cannabis but its effects can very different.

They can include dizziness, breathing difficulties, chest pain, heart palpitations and seizures. Users can even be temporarily paralysed.

In some cases it has been linked to paranoia, suicidal thoughts, psychosis and acute kidney injuries. Professor Rick Lines, of Public Health Wales, said: “The increased risk of overdose from high-potency drugs shouldn’t be underestimated. People may not be getting what they think they are getting.

“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.” After Spice incidents in Manchester, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire and Wales, officials fear the drug is sweeping the UK.

Children were reportedly collapsing in school classrooms in Middlesbrough last October due to the illegal drug in vaping devices. Children as young as 12 were found to be using them in Selby, Yorks. The powered chemical is also rife in prisons.

Public Health Wales said last week that of 196 e-liquid samples it tested last year, more than a third contained synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRA) – the official name for Spice.

The Government 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.”

Martin Bagot