A TEEN has been rushed to hospital after reportedly puffing on a vape that was laced with a zombie drug.
The boy was handed the E-cigarette at Herne Bay High school gates, in Kent, by a pal who bought it online.
The boy was handed the vape outside Herne Bay High, Kent
As he finished his lessons for the day, the child inhaled the vape once before instantly collapsing on school grounds.
Tests carried out have since revealed the fluid in the vape contained the deadly drug Spice.
Emergency services raced to the scene last month where the boy required medical attention before being transported to hospital.
He has since recovered from the horror.
The incident happened just weeks after experts warned of Spice vapes circulating the UK.
Headteacher Jon Boyes said in a letter to parents: “The student became very unwell, very quickly, to the point he collapsed.
“Staff patrolling outside school managed to intervene, getting the emergency services to the scene very quickly where clinical interventions were required before the student was taken to hospital.
“It has come to light that fluid in the vape had been purchased online from an unregistered source and we have been informed by clinicians that the product is a THC based-product which contained Spice – a highly dangerous drug.
“Fortunately, in this incident, the student has recovered, however, the clinical team that attended informed us they have had to deal with fatalities from the same/similar products.
“We shall collaborate closely with the police and continue our in-school education into safe and healthy lifestyle choices.”
What is Spice?
The synthetic cannabinoids collectively known as Spice are made up of a range of amphetamines and other laboratory-created chemicals that vary wildly from batch to batch.
Users smoke, drink or eat Spice, often in tea.
Before the ban on psychoactive substances in 2016, it was being sold either over the counter or online under a variety of brand names such as Annihilation and GoCaine.
It is highly addictive with withdrawal symptoms said to be worse than coming off crack or heroin.
Users can suffer vomiting, seizures, terrifying hallucinations and severe psychotic episodes after consuming the drug.
Spice appears particularly rife in Birmingham and Manchester, where a number of users have been hospitalised after taking the drug.
The substance is sometimes dubbed the “zombie drug” because of the effect it can have on users, who are often seen staggering around.
An ex-spice addict has described the sensation to Metro, saying: “You just feel brain dead half the time. They say people look like zombies, and that’s how it feels.”
The substance was declared unfit for human consumption by the very person who invented it.
Organic chemist John Huffmann accidentally created it in 2006 when searching for a new way of developing anti-inflammatory medication.
Two years later the substance began surfacing on websites, usually advertised as a form of incense or plant fertiliser.
The drug has been described as similar to cannabis but others have cited effects more like powerful hallucinogenics such as LSD.
An even more dangerous crystal form emerged in 2017, believed to be around 20 times more potent than the “usual” strain.
The incident was reported to cops who carried out enquiries.
A spokesperson for Kent Police said: “Police in Herne Bay have been made aware of a medical incident in Bullockstone Road on February 29 which was reportedly caused by drugs in a vape
“Officers from the district’s Child Centred Policing Team carried out enquiries, speaking to those involved and giving them advice on the risks associated with illegal substances.
“Details of the incident have been recorded to assist officers should any similar reports be received.”
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