The dangers of Spice!

Good Evening 

Spice is something that is always on my radar when on patrol in Chatham and Luton and just recently I have noticed an increase in mentions or people suffering with the effects of Spice so I thought it would be a good idea to remind and reinforce everyone about spice, what it does and how a spice user is likely to act.  

Spice is a Synthetic drug that is designed to have the same effects as cannabis.  

Side effects can include nausea and mood swings. Also, sweating, and tingly feelings in fingers and toes. Loss of muscle coordination.

The risks of synthetic cannabinoids are similar to natural cannabis, but because synthetic cannabinoids are more potent, it is easy to use too much and experience the unpleasant and harmful effects. This higher potency also means that the effects may last for longer.

Also, because many synthetic cannabinoids are new (ish), they may have unknown effects too.

We know that there have been a number of deaths that have been associated with the use of synthetic cannabinoids, either on their own or with other substances. There may also be risks from smoking the plant material itself – as occurs with tobacco and cannabis smoking.

Reported side-effects from using synthetic cannabinoids include:

feelings of light-headedness, dizziness, confusion and tiredness

feeling excited, agitated and aggressive

mood swings

anxiety and paranoia

suicidal thoughts

memory problems and amnesia

nausea and vomiting

hot flushes

increased heart rate and blood pressure, which may cause chest pains and damage your heart and even cause a heart attack.

excessive sweating

fingers, toes or muscles feel numb and tingly

tremors, seizures and fits

Other risks for synthetic cannabinoids:

Research suggests that they may be an association between using synthetic cannabinoids and acute kidney injury.

Many synthetic cannabinoids have a chemical structure that is similar to serotonin, a natural chemical found in the body. It’s been suggested that there’s a risk that synthetic cannabinoids could overstimulate the serotonin system (called serotonin syndrome), which can result in high fever, rapid pulse, sweating, agitation, confusion, convulsions, organ failure, coma and even death.

Because of the way that smoking mixtures are made, there can be differences in the concentration of synthetic cannabinoids in individual packets and between different batches. You can never be 100% sure of how powerful a dose you are going to take.

Mental health risks

Synthetic cannabinoids are more likely to be associated with hallucinations than natural cannabis, possibly because of their potency.

Use of synthetic cannabinoids can cause psychotic episodes, which in extreme cases could last for weeks.

Regular use could cause a relapse of mental health illness or increase the risk of developing a mental illness, especially if you have a family history of mental illness.

What is synthetic cannabinoids cut with?

Synthetic cannabinoids are usually sold in 'herbal' smoking mixtures. Sometimes these smoking mixtures have been found not to contain any synthetic cannabinoids at all!

Any dried herbs, vegetable matter or plant cuttings can be mixed or sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids to make smoking mixtures. A number of different plants are often listed on the packaging of smoking mixtures, but these might not actually be present in the mixture.

It's also possible that the dried herbs, vegetable matter or plant cuttings themselves may produce an unwanted effect or be covered in a toxic substance, such as a pesticide, or there may be residues of the solvents, such as acetone and methanol, used in the mixing/spraying process, remaining on the smoking mixture.

There have been a few studies carried out on the level of synthetic cannabinoids present in smoking mixtures which suggest that there can be differences in the concentration of synthetic cannabinoids in between different batches and packets. This could be because the mixing or spraying missed some of the smoking mixture or over-sprayed some of it.

The chemical composition of synthetic cannabinoids and the ingredients of smoking mixtures are changing all the time, so you can never be sure of what you're getting, how powerful it is, and how it could affect you.

to summarise these are an extremely dangerous and powerful drug that can cause any number of side effects and make users act in unpredictable ways, if you have any concerns about the use or supply of spice locally then please report via online reporting on the Kent police website. if you are in immediate danger please call 999. 

if the matter is non urgent you can reply to this message using the buttons below to discuss further.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.