A growing health concern has emerged among young people in the United Kingdom, where vapes marketed as containing cannabis or THC are increasingly being found to contain spice, a synthetic cannabinoid with serious health risks.
Research conducted by the University of Bath examined 1,923 vapes confiscated from children across 114 English schools and determined that 13% contained spice, with higher concentrations in London and Lancashire at 25%. When the drug-testing service Wedinos analyzed 297 samples labeled as containing THC, CBD, or cannabis products through March 2025, it found that 39% actually contained spice. Social media platforms appear to play a significant role in distribution, with estimates suggesting 68% of products purchased via TikTok contained spice compared with 12% from Facebook.
Spice, a catch-all term for synthetic cannabinoids, presents markedly different health risks than natural cannabis. Unlike cannabis THC, which partially binds to cellular receptors, spice binds much more strongly as what scientists call a full agonist, producing substantially stronger effects. Potential acute health consequences include psychosis, aggressive behavior, hypertensive crises, seizures, and cardiac arrest. A 2015 Global Drugs Survey indicated that the risk of requiring emergency medical treatment when using spice was 30 times greater than when using skunk cannabis. The drug produces dissociative effects that can lead to serious accidents, and its rapid onset and strong impact increase the likelihood of incapacitation.
Addiction to spice poses particular risks for vulnerable youth, potentially leading to criminal behavior such as theft to fund use and placing users under the control of drug dealers. Those already experiencing poverty, trauma, or lack of family support face elevated vulnerability. Schools struggle to identify spice vapes from legitimate nicotine products, complicating prevention and intervention efforts. Over 250 different synthetic cannabinoids have been documented, with new variations continuously developed in response to legal restrictions.
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