Devon & Cornwall Police working with Bath University to test for spice in vapes

Devon & Cornwall Police is testing a new device invented by Professor Christopher Pudney at Bath University which rapidly tests vapes for the presence of Spice a cheap to produce by criminal gangs but potent & potentially very harmful synthetic cannabinoid

Devon & Cornwall Police is one of six forces testing a new device invented by Professor Christopher Pudney at Bath University which rapidly tests vape fluids for the presence of Spice, a cheap to produce (by criminal gangs) but potent and potentially very harmful synthetic cannabinoid. 

Inspector Sarah Ronayne, Partnerships Inspector for Plymouth, said "We have had reports in our area from public health and schools about young people becoming adversely affected from smoking vapes. When you smoke vapes from an unregulated source, or obtained from people that you don’t know, they could be laced with Spice which can have serious health implications.”

"We have been engaging with all the secondary schools in Plymouth to try and educate our young people about the dangers that are associated with smoking vapes. With the equipment from Professor Pudney we will now be able to test more widely and hopefully be able to gain a more accurate picture of the effects and impacts across Devon and Cornwall"

Spice when inhaled works very quickly and can lead to extreme anxiety, hallucinations, palpitations and even seizure, collapse and death. If you obtain or are offered vape fluid from anywhere other than a regulated source such as a store you literally have no idea what it contains, and it could seriously harm you. It is not worth the risk. If you start to feel unwell, or if you see someone else in trouble, don’t hesitate: get help from a responsible person immediately or call 999.

More about the work that the Devon & Cornwall Police Child Centred Policing Team has been doing on secondary schools in Plymouth: https://news.devon-cornwall.police.uk/news-article/09db7d2c-bbe6-ee11-9d62-6045bdd24049