An MP called for changes to the law after revealing that children would not have to meet “unscrupulous” people to buy drug-laced vapes, and could instead order them online.
Testing found that 16.6 percent of school vapes were contaminated with synthetic marijuana flavoring, often called the “Zombie Drug” because of its terrifying effects on users.
Wera Hobhouse suggests the Government should use the Tobacco and Vape Bill to target online sales, in a bid to prevent young people buying e-liquids containing synthetic narcotic flavourings.
Police Minister Dame Diana Johnson warned vapes containing spice were already “illegal” but admitted “further restrictions are needed” to combat levels of vaping among teenagers.
The Liberal Democrat MP led a debate in the House of Representatives over vapes containing spice, after Professor Chris Pudney from the University of Bath tested 596 vapes confiscated from UK schools and found 16.6 per cent contained so-called spice. “zombie medicine”.
Newspapers in Kent and South London reported in early 2024 that students had fallen ill after using vapes that may have contained spice in Herne Bay and Eltham.
Cleveland Police warned last year that they had received reports of young people passing out at a Middlesbrough school and a “number” of vapes were sent for spice testing, while North Yorkshire Police said its officers seized vape fluid from 17-year-old Selby containing vape fluid. . synthetic cannabinoids.
Labor has promised to revive the Tobacco and Vape Bill in this year’s King’s Speech, after the previous Conservative government developed plans to limit and limit how vapes are marketed. The government previously also promised a ban on single-use vapes.
“Some parts of this bill will address this issue,” Ms Hobhouse told MPs on Tuesday.
“But I’m talking specifically about top-ups and what the Government wants to do regarding top-ups and their availability on the internet.”
The Bath MP stated that children had been using Snapchat and Telegram to buy drugs, and added: “Gone are the days when you had to meet random people in back alleys to get illegal drugs. Today, these drugs are readily available over the internet and that is a big part of the problem.”
He called on the Government to introduce stricter “regulatory oversight for online platforms” and to set up a “taskforce” consisting of technology company representatives and cyber security experts to better detect and disrupt the distribution of spice online.
“Vapes containing spice are illegal and no one should buy or use these products,” Dame Diana said in her response, adding that the Home Office and health officials had met with Professor Pudney.
He said: “The government welcomes adult smokers turning to vaping as part of smoking cessation efforts, but the government prohibits the use of vaping by children and non-smokers.”
The Home Secretary later said “further restrictions are needed” based on high levels of vaping among teenagers, but assured Ms Hobhouse that the Government was “vigilant about the dangers of children vaping”. He promised to “provide feedback” on Ms Hobhouse’s suggestions to ministers.
Professor Pudney said earlier this year: “We know children can have heart attacks when they smoke spice, and I’m sure some almost died.”
He added: “This is not just a one-off incident that happened at a school far away from you – this is something that is commonplace.”
