England Are Vaping Spice, a Synthetic Cannabinoid Known As the Prison Drug, Often Without Realizing It, According to New Data

Scientists at the University of Bath analyzed 1,923 vapes confiscated from children at 114 schools in England last year and found 13% contained spice, rising to 25% in London and Lancashire. Among 297 samples labeled as containing THC, CBD, or cannabis tested by Wedinos, part of Public Health Wales, up to March 2025, 39% contained spice. Chris Pudney, professor of applied biochemistry at the University of Bath, said the vapes are overtly and blatantly available on the major social media platforms.

He estimated that 68% of supposedly THC vapes bought via TikTok contained spice, compared with 12% via Facebook. Spice can cause psychosis, aggression, hypertensive crisis, seizures, or cardiac arrest, and has a dissociative effect, said Pudney. A boy featured on ITV’s Good Morning Britain became addicted at age 12 after buying a vape advertised as THC for a tenner on social media, ending up in a coma with a collapsed lung.

Spice is a catch-all for over 250 synthetic cannabinoids, with new versions emerging as older ones are banned, despite the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act. My daughter’s 15 now; just found a cannabis vape in her room.