A case has hit the headlines where a Headteacher from the north-west has warned that illegal vaping could kill a child, after the collapse of a 12-year-old pupil who had used a vape containing spice – an illegal synthetic drug.
High levels of psychoactive cannabis oil and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have also been found in vapes in the area.
The government has said it is planning new laws to prevent under-age vaping but the Headteacher of Saint John Henry Newman Catholic College in Oldham said: “I pray that we don’t have a fatality in these kinds of instances, but I do fear that is likely to happen if we don’t address these matters.”
It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people aged under 18, but a recent survey found one in five teenagers in England had tried vaping, an increase of a third on the previous year. Equally, some parents are very relaxed about their children vaping and are proactive in providing the vapes for them.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, said “There remains a risk that some parents think that vaping is fine as it is at least not smoking. This is definitely not the case and the use of synthetic drugs in vapes – which can be bought illegally and over the internet – is a real risk that cannot be discounted. The vape is the gateway to these dangerous drugs and parents run the risk of only understanding the dangers when they sit in A&E and it is too late.”
To read more about this case click here.
To learn more about the risk of vaping to teenagers click here.
