Schools warn after pupils ill on Spice-laced vapes
Middlesbrough CouncilParents are being warned after a number of children were taken to hospital using vapes laced with the so-called zombie drug Spice.
The students from Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough were admitted to James Cook University Hospital earlier this month, Cleveland Police said.
Subsequent tests at a specialist laboratory revealed the presence of the synthetic cannabis substitute, which can have severe debilitating effects.
All schools in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland are issuing letters to warn people not to use vapes which are sold via Snapchat and other social media apps.
It also urged people to treat any vape not purchased from a shop as suspicious and to report it immediately.
Public health teams from both Middlesbrough Council and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council are working with schools on providing advice, while teaching staff are being trained how to respond to incidents.
The children who were taken to hospital "informed an adult as soon as they felt unwell", police said.
They also issued a reminder that the legal age to purchase and use a vape is 18.