WORRYING RISE IN OVERDOSES
IT’S a highly addictive drug which causes seizures, psychotic episodes and can even kill.
Yet the Spice scourge continues to sweep through cities across Britain as people struggle to kick the habit.
Anyone walking through Newcastle city centre will be familiar with the scale of the problems caused by the vicious drug – the effects of which are most visible among rough sleepers and beggars.
We spoke to one 24-year-old last year who gave us an insight into what the life of a legal high addict was really like. The dad-of-one said he couldn’t eat normally and lost a lot of weight as a result of his addiction.
He said: “I’ve smoked [legal highs] for five years. Now it’s the only thing I can’t come off. It tells us when to go to sleep, when to eat, and tells me when to have the next one.”
The drugs are also rife behind bars at one of the region’s biggest jails, according to prisoners.
A BBC investigation in February revealed Spice was putting inmates and staff at HMP Northumberland at risk.
In one of the most disturbing incidents in a programme, a prison officer was seen convulsing on the floor after accidentally inhaling some of the banned drug.
While police, the ambulance service and charities continue to tackle the drugs, here is a list of ways people can safely make a difference.
Overdoses are more and more common as a result of Spice, with people now regularly found collapsed in the middle of the street.
The ambulance service advises that while the effects of Spice use may often look scary, usually the person doesn’t need emergency treatment.
If someone is overheating, you should place a cool, damp cloth on their forehead and give them some water. Call an ambulance if they don’t improve within five minutes.
Similarly, if someone is struggling to breathe – taking fast or shallow breaths – for five minutes or longer, ring an ambulance.
If the person is clearly on a bad trip, hallucinating or anxious, take them somewhere quiet where they are likely to feel safe and try to calm them down. Anyone suffering chest pains should also be sat down somewhere calm and be reassured. An ambulance should be called for them.
If someone is vomiting, frothing at the mouth, has a severe headache, is severely agitated or aggressive, ring an ambulance if the symptoms have not improved within 15 minutes – but make sure you keep yourself safe in the process.
And if the person is unconscious, the advice is particularly specific: don’t startle them, as that can lead to heart failure. Instead, call and shake them gently, make sure they are lying on their side so they can’t choke on their vomit and call an ambulance.
In all cases, if in doubt, call an ambulance.
Here’s a way to help break the cycle. Rather than dropping some cash in a cup, you can give it to the Big Change, which funnels it into North East charities who can directly provide the kind of help needed.
Its intention is to provide a safety net that keeps people off the streets for good – and less likely to fall into the kind of distressing spiral that leads to the sort of scenes we are currently seeing in the city centre. Donations go, for example, towards providing furnishings for a person’s first flat, or to pay for their bus fare to a key appointment, or a range of other support measures that will help them start a new life.
To donate, or register to fundraise, visit www. big-change.org.
Often the only way to make something a priority for those in charge is to pile on the pressure. That may include, if you live in an area particularly affected, messaging your local councillor or MP.