Schoolkids are victims of vape spiking, police warn

Sanya Burgess, investigations correspondent at the i-newspaper reports that police are concerned about vape spiking, including among schoolchildren.

Vape spiking incidents in the UK are emerging as a pressing concern, particularly as they affect vulnerable groups, including schoolchildren.

London’s Metropolitan Police has raised alarms over the rise of vapes as a new avenue for spiking.

Dean Ames, the Metropolitan Police’s forensic drugs operation manager, highlighted the gravity of the situation, emphasising the clandestine nature of vaping and its potential dangers:

“People might be offered a vape but might not necessarily know what they are about to inhale. There are vapes out there which are dangerous.”

Who is vulnerable to vape spiking?

The issue is of great concern for young adults in pubs and clubs but schools are also grappling with vape spiking due to the popularity of e-cigarettes among young people.

Ian Graham, the Met’s chief licensing officer, underscored this, stating that the police are aware of instances where vapes have been used in schools to spike individuals.

The consequences can be dire, with headteachers reporting cases where pupils fell seriously ill after using spiked vapes.

This underscores the urgency for action, as Neil Coe, headteacher of Westhoughton High School in Bolton, articulated:

“This could be one wrong choice that could result in a young person losing their life.”

Which drugs are vape pens spiked with?

Spiked vapes contain illicit intoxicants. The police are becoming increasingly concerned after discovering vapes containing psychoactive substances such as “Spice”.

Spice is often nicknamed the “zombie drug” because of the debilitating effects it can have – causing psychosis, loss of movement, vomiting or diarrhoea and even sometimes seizures.

Spice is not a single drug but a range of laboratory-made chemicals that mimic the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is contained in cannabis.

But the lab-created synthetic cannabinoids are much more powerful, and the effects can be devastating.

How widespread is vape spiking?

Trading standards find that about a third of vapes purchased might be illegal, with one of the reasons being that they contain banned substances.

How easy is it to identify spiked vapes?

Detecting vape pens poses a significant challenge for authorities due to their size and discreet nature, especially in busy venues like nightclubs.

Despite efforts by establishments to be vigilant, vape spiking incidents persist.

Additionally, vape pens’ design, often mimicking innocuous objects like highlighters, compounds the difficulty of detection, particularly in school settings.

What is the cause of the issue?

The root of the problem extends beyond mere availability; it’s also about how young people access these products.

According to a report from Action on Smoking & Health, nearly half of the young people surveyed cited other individuals as their main source of procuring vapes, highlighting the role of peer influence and, in more concerning cases, connections to illicit activities like county lines and grooming.

Further reading

Is there a young person in your life who wants to quit vaping? Our guide can help! We have information dedicated on quitting vaping that you can read.

• Learn more about how Allen Carr’s Easyway can help with our stop vaping programmes
• Read the i-newspaper story