‘It can make you psychotic or give you a cardiac arrest’: why are so many children vaping the ‘prison drug’ spice?
Parents and teachers worry about the number of kids who vape cannabis. But many of them are using something far more dangerous – without even realising it I bumped into an old acquaintance the other day. Updating me on his children’s ages, he said, with an eyeroll of resignation: “My daughter’s 15 now; just found a cannabis vape in her room.” It’s an increasingly common and concerning situation…
In recent times, parents and educators have expressed growing concern over the increasing prevalence of teenage vaping. The issue has been further complicated by a troubling discovery: many of these vapes are not what they appear to be. Instead of containing the natural cannabinoids THC or CBD, a significant number of these devices are found to be laced with a substance known as "spice." Often referred to as the "prison drug," spice is a much cheaper alternative and poses a far greater health risk to young users.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Bath analyzed 1,923 vapes confiscated from children in 114 schools across England. The findings were alarming: 13% of these vapes contained spice. The risk was higher in certain regions, with concentrations as high as 25% in London and Lancashire. This issue is not limited to vapes marketed as cannabis; even those labeled as containing THC, CBD, or actual cannabis have been found to contain spice.
The situation worsens when examining vapes specifically labeled as containing THC, CBD, or cannabis. A drug-testing service, Wedinos, part of Public Health Wales, examined 297 such samples received up to March 2025. The results were even more concerning: 39% of these vapes were found to contain spice.
This revelation has left many parents and teachers in a state of alarm. The danger of spice is not just its potency, but also its potential to cause severe health issues such as psychosis and cardiac arrest. The reality is, many children are inadvertently vaping a substance far more dangerous than cannabis, often without even realizing it. As the vaping trend continues to grow among young people, understanding the true contents of these devices is becoming increasingly crucial for safeguarding their health.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
