SHOCKING PHOTO ‘SHOWS MEN ON SPICE’
AN IMAGE has been circulating on social media that appears to show a group of men on the ground with the apparent effects of the drug spice.
The photograph was taken on Tuesday in Bridgend town centre just after 5pm. Two of the men are on the floor and one is slumped on a bench while passers-by continue with their shopping and even as a child plays nearby.
Someone who was in the town at the time, who has asked not to be named, said: “It’s terrible what I saw. There were kids in the background and walking past.”
The original photo has been shared hundreds of times and received comments of outrage and dispair.
One user wrote: “I’m too scared to walk around there in the day. Absolutely disgusting.”
Another wrote: “Shocking and upsetting and the fact Bridgend has already got a bad reputation, how are the good people supposed to make our town better? Clearly these people have their issues. Go on take your last ounce of respect and do it somewhere else.”
Spice is usually a mix of herbs or shredded plant material with man-made mind-altering chemicals sprayed on to them. It is marketed as an alternative to cannabis by drug dealers but, chemically, the two drugs are very different.
Cannabis comes from a plant, but spice is a “synthetic cannabinoid”, a family of around 700 research chemicals. Although it is sold to look like cannabis, the effects come from the chemicals.
Because there are more than 700 types, any of which can be used to create spice, the effects of the drug can vary massively depending on which compounds have been used in its production.
Only last month, Logan Johns-Evans, 11, from Bridgend, was left like a zombie after it was claimed that a cigarette he had been smoking was laced with the synthetic drug without his knowledge.
Spice used to be available in shops and online and was sold as a socalled legal high, but it was made illegal in 2016 under the Psychoactive Substances Act.
South Wales Police said: “We are aware of a photo circulating on social media which appears to show a small number of men in Bridgend town centre experiencing the devastating effects that alcohol or drugs can have upon individuals.”
Detective Inspector Dean Taylor said: “Tackling the illegal drug supply on our streets is a priority for us as this kind of criminal activity has a hugely detrimental impact on our communities.
“We recently held Operation Pacific in the town centre which targeted county lines and the supply of drugs.
“This led to a number of arrests.
“The number of incidents of spice use reported to us remains very low. I would encourage anyone with concerns relating to drug supply including spice to contact us.
“I would ask that that the community continue to work with us and make a stand against the drug dealers who impose this misery upon others.”
Anybody who has information about drug dealing should call 101 or alternatively they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.