Vapes laced with Spice put five schoolchildren into hospital

Vapes laced with Spice put five schoolchildren into hospital and left one in a coma after smoking them.

The incident, involving five teens, happened after months over warnings of youths using vapes. 

Aged between 14 to 16-years-old, the teenagers were admitted to hospital on January 29 in Elthan, South East London after they all used a re-chargeable vape that contained blue liquid in a cartridge that was labelled 'Vaporesso,' the Mirror reported.

They were experiencing confusion, vomiting and a reduced level of consciousness. Emergency services arrived and took them to the hospital where one was induced into a coma. 

Spice is commonly called a 'zombie drug' after the side effects it has on people using it.

However, this is not an isolated incident. There are reports of similar situations happening with teens across the country including in Yorkshire, Manchester, Middlesbrough and Wales.

It has been reported that people buying some e-cigarettes thought they contained cannabis, instead they contained the 'zombie' Spice drug which has different side-effects. 

Last month two other youngsters reportedly also suffered after vaping with Spice-laced 'Lemonade Vape Cookies' in Merton, South West London.

A Government spokesperson told the Mirror: 'Marketing vapes to children is unacceptable. We are cracking down on this by banning disposable vapes, restricting their flavours and changing how and where they are displayed in shops.'

The effects of lab-made Spice can include difficulty in breathing, seizures, dizziness, heart palpitations and chest pain. 

Other symptoms reported are suicidal thoughts, kidney problems and paranoia. 

Over the last few years multiple children have been hospitalised because of vaping effects. 

This comes after Rishi Sunak announced ministers will ban disposable vapes – the weapon of choice for teenagers in 2024 and was backed by experts in the field.

E-cigarettes are also set to be limited to a handful of flavours, sold in plain, tobacco-style packaging and displayed out of sight of kids under the ambitious plans.