Know the enemy as Spice has addicts in deadly grip
It’s the drug that has been described as turning people ‘into zombies’, bent double and rooted to the spot, in UK cities including Cardiff. Following last week’s special investigation into Spice, this is what you need to know about the man-made substance
WHAT IS SPICE?
SPICE is usually a mix of herbs or shredded plant material and manmade 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 in packets 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.
WHAT DOES SPICE DO TO USERS?
IT is highly addictive. The synthetic cannabis mimics the effects of natural cannabis. These include euphoric feelings, altered perception and feelings of relaxation
However, it also has serious sideeffects. The main side-effect is a significant reduction in the respiratory system, which causes the body to shut down due to low oxygen levels.
This is why people who have taken the drug can appear to be in a zombie-like state.
It is images of this effect that have become synonymous with the drug’s use. Images emerged last week appearing to show a user in the grip of the drug in Cardiff city centre, in an area where shopkeepers say the issue is a growing problem.
Users describe difficulty in breathing, as well as an increased heartrate. One user said their heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to come out of their chest.
Harry Shapiro, director of DrugWise and a drug information and policy analyst, said one user was taken to A&E in their dazed state, only to go berserk once they left that state.
He said: “The effects can be quite dramatic. There are many, many different compounds, so in any packet you could have many different compounds of Spice, but they all roughly do the same thing.
“It is because one of the effects of one of the compounds is to dramatically reduce your respiratory system that you are essentially frozen.”
Because it is relatively new to the market the long-term effects of Spice are not known, but early signs indicate that it could be as bad for the human body as heroin.
WHAT DO USERS SAY?
SAMANTHA Adams, from Wrexham, has spoken candidly about her life on Black Mamba, a type of Spice.
Samantha said she was shocked to see a video someone had filmed of her as she was slumped – almost frozen in place – at the town’s bus station.
She revealed that addicts congregate there almost every morning and that the potentially deadly Black Mamba has now become the drug of choice.
Samantha, who described the cravings as “worse than heroin”, said: “We all take Black Mamba as it’s cheap and easier to get than heroin or cocaine.
“I’m shocked what I look like because when you’ve had Mamba you don’t realise what you look like because the feeling and effects are totally different.
“I’ve blacked out on it, gone unconscious on the floor, woken up and thought, ‘What am I doing here?’
“That’s a frightening thought, that is, but it doesn’t stop me from taking it.
“My body is so used to it now I find it hard myself to say no to taking it because my body needs it.”
IS IT LEGAL?
SPICE used to be available in shops and online and was sold as a so-called legal high, but it was made illegal in 2016 under the Psychoactive Substances Act.
But the illicit substance has no smell when smoked, and testing for laboratory-made compounds was extremely difficult.
One of the substances is the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018. It was invented in the US by an organic chemist who was looking for a new way of developing anti-inflammatory medication.
The substance was declared unfit for human consumption in 2006, but but started appearing for sale online two years later, advertised as a plant fertiliser.
The JWH-018 compound was banned in the UK in 2010, but its formula was changed numerous times as a cat-and-mouse game began between manufacturers and the authorities. All forms of the substance were banned in 2016 under the Psychoactive Substances Act. A LEADING criminologist says chemical compounds in liquid form are thought to originally come from China and enter the UK via Eastern Europe, where they are sprayed on dried plant material and chopped-up herbs or other substances.
It is often sold for as little as £5 per gram, with 3.5g bags commonly sold for around £25.
It is said to be a particular problem among the homeless and prison communities. THERE are a number of factors which could have contributed to an increase in the use of Spice on the streets. Price is an obvious one.
Since it was criminalised, the drug has dropped in price, making it more affordable.
One user in Cardiff said: “I hadn’t really taken drugs before but this has me gripped hard, it’s given me nightmares, made me wet myself in the street and made look like a corpse, but I can’t shake it.”