Students In Hospital After Taking 'Spice' Drug

Two students are in hospital after taking a synthetic cannabis substitute known as 'Spice'.

The pair were part of a group of five students admitted to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on Wednesday evening after apparently taking the drug.

The other three have been discharged from hospital.

Lancaster University sent out a message on Wednesday night on its Twitter account saying: "Urgent message: Several students have been hospitalised today after taking legal high Spice - please check on friends and call 999 if needed."

An email was also sent to students warning them and urging anyone who has taken the drug to seek medical help.

"Five students are in hospital, two of them critically ill following a suspected overdose of a drug called Spice," it said.

"It is extremely important if you have taken the drug to call 999 immediately and call for an ambulance.

"Please also check on anyone you think may have taken it.

"Spice is a cannabis-based drug and can be bought over the internet. Packages may be labelled 'not for human consumption'."

Spice was one of a number of cannabis-type drugs outlawed in the United Kingdom in 2009.

DrugScope, a charity and independent centre of expertise on drug use, says it is a collection of herbs or plant material which has been sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids, producing a cannabis-like effect when smoked, giving a feeling of relaxation or euphoria.

Side effects include a raised pulse rate, dry mouth, lowering of inhibitions, dizziness, agitation and paranoia.

Before its classification under the Misuse of Drugs Act, Spice was being sold in "head shops" where legal highs can be purchased.

The drug, and other similar substances, can still be bought on the internet, with China and the Far East the main areas for production.

DrugScope says there are no figures that show the extent of the use of Spice but the number of sites selling the drug before the ban suggests a "substantial user base in the UK" and elsewhere.

The organisation said some drugs like Spice can be anything up to 10 times stronger than cannabis plants and that users have "no idea" of their potency.