SPICE warning issued after three people die in Newcastle

Concerns have been raised over the dangerous illicit drug known spice after three people died in the North East over bank holiday.

The drug which is a synthetic form of cannabis and can contain a number of dangerous chemicals.

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said:

“We have been informed about three deaths in in Newcastle that appear to be linked to spice use. Although we are not aware of the type or ‘brand’, it is likely that there is a particularly dangerous or toxic batch in circulation.

No drugs are safe and we advise people not to use substances and not to use spice. These drugs are variable in quality and purity so you can never know what you are using and the effect of mixing with other drugs or alcohol."

Northumbria Police arrested eleven people, two have been released without charge, including a 14 year old boy.

Six have been released under investigation and three remain in custody

Superintendent Barrie Joisce, of Northumbria Police, said:

“Through our role, unfortunately we often see the devastating and sometimes fatal effects drugs misuse can have on some of the most vulnerable members of society, their families and the wider community as a whole.

Thankfully, through the hard work of our officers, we have now made eleven arrests in relation to this investigation and taken a haul of drugs off the streets.

There may be others who have taken or purchased Spice in recent days and we continue to be concerned for their wellbeing. If anyone has taken Spice then they should seek medical attention at the earliest opportunity."

Kira Weir from drug charity the Loop which operate in County Durham has also warned users of the dangers this synthetic form of cannabis can have telling us:

"These synthetic canabanoids we are seeing now carry greater risks than those we saw five or ten years ago the difference between the active dose, overwhelming dose or a risky fatal dose can be quite small, so people are very much at risk when they're taking it.

Spice has a lot of health risks and it certainly carry's a lot of greater health risks than herbal cannabis does. Even from small doses there's risks of seizures and fatal overdoes, dependency to synthetic cannabis can develop quite quickly we know that withdrawal from these substances can be challenging and painful.

I would warn the others who have purchased spice or taken spice in the last couple of days in the area. I'd urge people to spot the signs of a drug related emergency may look like to prevent any more death occurring."