The Dangers of Spice
A recent article from the Manchester Evening News brought back to our attention some of the horrors caused by the synthetic drug called spice.
Some quotes from the youth worker speaking in the above interview:
‘We’ve had people gang raped, we have had people put on the game, we have had people trafficked because of it, we’ve had people who have ended up on the sex offenders’ register. I’ve had people wake up in an MRI scanner who didn’t know how they’d got there. I’ve had a lad recently been sectioned. There’s been a couple of cases where people have had to be brought back to life, who we’ve called an ambulance for when they’ve actually died on the street.’
Since May 2016 when the Psychoactive Substances Act came into effect, none of these drugs are legal to produce, supply or import for human consumption, but unfortunately that doesn’t stop them from being out there on the streets and causing such danger.
So, What Is Spice?
Spice is another name for synthetic cannabinoids. Synthetic cannabinoids are chemicals that have been developed to act like the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which acts on cannabis receptors in the brain.
Since synthetic cannabinoids act like cannabis the effects are similar, but because synthetic cannabinoids react more strongly with the brain’s cannabis receptors they’re more potent than natural cannabis. This means it's easier to use too much and experience unpleasant and harmful effects.
Reported effects from using synthetic cannabinoids include:
- feelings of light-headedness, dizziness, confusion and tiredness,
- feeling excited, agitated and aggressive
- mood swings, anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks
- suicidal thoughts
- memory problems and amnesia
- perception change and hallucinations
- nausea and vomiting
- hot flushes
- increased heart rate and blood pressure, which may cause chest pains and damage the heart and even cause a heart attack
- excessive sweating
- fingers, toes or muscles feel numb and tingly
- tremors, seizures and fits.
For help for you or a loved one with spice addiction, or for more information on our rehabilitation programme, contact us.