Council asks people to stop taking ‘spice zombie’ pictures

 People have been urged to stop taking pictures of “spice zombies” by a council, who says that users need “encouragement not ridicule” in order to recover.

Sheffield City Council has launched a campaign asking locals to refrain from taking photographs in a bid to support those addicted to the powerful drug.

It comes after images of people collapsed on street corners or slumped on benches after taking the synthetic cannabis substitute have become popular online. The former “legal high” is designed to mimic the effects of cannabis, but often leads users to suffer from serious seizures, hallucinations and violent outbursts, which can make them appear like “zombies”.

Helen Phillips-jackson, from the council, said that the sharing of images of users “prohibits recovery”.

She said: “It is shocking to see people in those states. We are not asking anyone to help proactively, but we have all felt desperate for one reason or another.”