'I Was Addicted To Smoking Spice Vapes In School'
“I didn’t care how expensive it was; I didn’t care if I had any money left; I just wanted to buy it.”
Rather than studying schoolwork or spending time with friends, 14-year-old Ben (whose identity has been altered) was obsessed with obtaining the narcotic spice.
“I became dependent on it, and I felt like a drug addict. I realised I was doing it to feel normal and regulated,” he divulges to the BBC.
He claims he first tasted a Spice vape at a friend’s residence, believing it contained THC, the major psychoactive element in cannabis.
Vapes were stored in ancient teddy bears.
What was in the vaporizer was a synthetic cannabinoid, a laboratory-created medication designed to mimic the effects of cannabis.
“After using it [Spice] for a while, I realised the effects of real THC would be different,” Ben recalls.
“I don’t know why I didn’t realise this sooner, but the colour was very artificial—bright blue or red—obviously, that’s not from a plant.”
His testimony comes as a recent investigation reveals that spice is found in one out of every six vapes tested in 38 English schools.
The drug can be more dangerous and unpredictable than cannabis, causing dizziness, breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, psychosis, and seizures.
Ben, who is now 16, believes he was fortunate not to experience any immediate harmful reactions; however, little is known about the long-term repercussions of spice use, particularly in minors.
“I found myself doing it every second of the day,” he jokes.
“I’d be like, ‘oh, you’re not as high as you were 10 minutes ago’, so I’d have another bit.”
He claims he used his vape everywhere, including classrooms at school.
Spice is less expensive to produce than cannabis but has far more intense effects, and many individuals who buy Spice vapes assume they are receiving genuine THC.
Ben’s mother, Katie, whose name we have also changed, claims she discovered he was taking Spice vapes from his friends’ parents.
“They [his friends] managed to stop because they knew it was bad, but he couldn’t,” according to her.
“He used to hide them in the gutter above his bedroom window and in the toilet cistern. I’d cut open his old teddy bears and he’d stashed them in there. My husband and I didn’t know what to do.”
‘Vicious Cycle’
Spice and THC vapes are banned in the United Kingdom and, like nicotine vapes, cannot be purchased at corner stores or supermarkets.
It is also prohibited to sell a vape or any nicotine-containing product to anyone under the age of 18.
Ben says he obtained his from a dealer he located on social media, and they met at a nearby train station.
“Without it [Spice], everything would feel really dull; I’d feel demotivated,” he maintains.
“I knew it was bad for me but I was in a vicious cycle of needing to get more and as soon as I had finished one, I’d get another one—even when I’d get one confiscated, I’d immediately be set on getting another one.”
He claims that what began as “communal activity” became “very solitary” once he got addicted.
Prof. Chris Pudney of the University of Bath investigated the use of Spice vapes in schools using a portable gadget capable of detecting synthetic substances quickly.
He and his crew gathered confiscated vapes from 38 schools in England, including London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and South Yorkshire.
He discovered that out of roughly 600 confiscated vapes, one in six contained Spice and one in 100 contained THC.
“Our research into understanding Spice vapes started in prisons, where usage is endemic and causes a great deal of harm—nearly half of all non-natural deaths in prisons are associated with Spice,” Professor Pudney informs us.
The number of children collapsing in schools after using Spice vapes is “so high,” he claims, and it is difficult to locate a school “where a child hasn’t collapsed” due to suspected Spice use.
‘Spice is a gateway drug.’
Prof Pudney has also heard of youngsters spending time in intensive care after experiencing cardiac arrest, and he is “worried about the summer” when children are not attending school.
He explains, “If a child uses one alone in their bedroom and has a cardiac arrest, they don’t have people around them, unlike in schools, where effective CPR can be performed and an ambulance called.
“That’s where the risk really lies—you can self-regulate nicotine consumption but, with Spice, it’s so potent that you can use a relatively small amount and have a serious outcome.”
What are the effects of consuming Spice?
Feeling dizzy and confused.
Mood swings
Anxiety and Paranoia
Suicidal ideas.
Memory issues and amnesia.
Nausea and vomiting.
Hot flushes.
Increased heart rate and blood pressure, which can cause chest discomfort, damage to your heart, and possibly a heart attack.
Tremors, convulsions, and fits.
The professor has been developing technologies to identify chemicals in vapes instantly.
He has been collaborating with Devon and Cornwall Police, who are testing one of his gadgets to better determine the prevalence of spice use in the area.
The work is being overseen by their narcotics liaison officer, Det Con Nick Burnett, who refers to Spice as a “gateway drug.”.
He expresses concern about youth going into debt with drug traffickers and becoming involved in criminality.
“Continued use of spice affects everybody differently; it can lead to unconsciousness, which can leave you in a very vulnerable position,” according to the officer.
According to Det Con Burnett, violence against women and girls is on the rise in the area, and he is concerned about the possibility of blackmail, the use of drug-related films of youngsters, and possibly physical or sexual assault.
Most synthetic cannabinoids are classified as Class B substances, making them unlawful to possess, distribute, or sell.
After being grounded by his mother and without money, a phone, or the ability to leave the house, Ben claims it “clicked” that he didn’t need the drug.
He says he used it for less than a year and spent hundreds of pounds on it.
“I felt really empty, like a shell of myself,” he recalls about the withdrawal.
“I didn’t do it for two, three weeks—your body readjusts and I didn’t feel the urge to do it any more; it was kind of like my life was back to normal,” says the man.
Harm reduction charity Cranstoun believes that the best way to stay safe is to avoid using vapes at all. However, if someone does purchase a new batch or type of THC vape, they should inhale once and softly to analyze its effects.
It further advises not using a vape in the presence of others and to call an ambulance right away if you or another vape user becomes concerned.
