Exclusive:Revealed: Scottish primary pupils among 120 youngsters caught smoking vapes 'laced with cannabis and Spice'

The vaping incidents revealed by the investigation by The Scotsman have been branded ‘terrifying’ amid calls for action

Primary school pupils are among scores of youngsters being caught in Scottish schools smoking vapes feared to be laced with illicit substances, The Scotsman can reveal.

An investigation by The Scotsman has revealed a growing number of children in some areas are being found by school staff with vape pens that both the teachers and pupils often believe contain cannabis.

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However, a leading expert warned he would have “full confidence” that most of these vapes actually contain Spice, a cheaper, artificial version that can leave users in a zombie-like state and even causes cardiac arrest.

Vapes were seizedVapes were seized
Vapes were seized

Last night, Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane branded the findings “terrifying” and demanded action.

It has also emerged that Public Health Scotland's early warning system has recently flagged an increase in reports of THC and synthetic cannabis vapes.

A report highlighted a general rise in “overdose clusters, public overdoses, sudden collapse and wounds and infections”, with several reports related to young people, including hospitalisations.

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Data released to The Scotsman by 11 councils in Scotland - about a third of local authorities - show there have been up to 120 incidents in the past three years where school pupils have been caught with vapes thought to contain an illegal substance.

The true picture across Scotland is feared to be much worse, however, with several large local authorities saying they do not hold figures centrally relating to illegal substances in vape pens, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, and South and North Lanarkshire.

A dozen incidents in Fife have involved primary school children - a higher number than the nine recorded in the area’s secondary schools.

Scottish pupils are being caught with vapes containing illegal substances Scottish pupils are being caught with vapes containing illegal substances
Scottish pupils are being caught with vapes containing illegal substances | Getty

Fife Council, as well as Stirling Council, admitted the vapes involved were not tested so the type of illegal substance was not known.

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Primary-aged youngsters have also been caught with vapes thought to contain cannabis on small number of occasions in West Dunbartonshire, along with secondary pupils. However, the authority would not reveal the precise figures.

In Dundee, the city council confirmed Spice had been found in vapes in secondaries, with one incident in each of the past two years, along with another involving cannabis.

NHS Tayside also revealed it had patients who were younger than 18 who had consumed synthetic cannabinoids in each of the past three years, although it could not say if vapes were involved.

In Argyll and Bute, the number of incidents in secondary schools involving vapes has risen from six in 2021/22, to nine in 2022/23 and 15 last year, with all the devices recorded as containing cannabis

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East Renfrewshire, which has some of the best performing secondaries in Scotland, has had 14 vape-related incidents in the past three years, all also recorded as cannabis.

Stirling has had up to nine incidents in its high schools in each of the past two years, while there were four in secondaries in the Scottish Borders last year, and fewer than five in Renfrewshire in the period.

Highland Council has found pupils with vape pens said to contain cannabis in both 2021/22 and 2023/24, but refused to release the exact numbers, while there have been three cases in Perth and Kinross secondaries in the past two years, and one in the Western Isles.

Falkirk Council said it did not have access to data relating to such incidents. However, it was reported last year that five pupils at Graeme High School in the area became unwell during their lunch break after smoking an unknown substance in a vape, with a 13-year-old boy taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment.

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One senior secondary teacher said: “During my time in Edinburgh, we were certainly aware of cannabis vapes in circulation amongst young people and had intelligence that they were exchanging hands for £50-£60 with a link to OCGs [organised crime groups].

“Proving the composition of any substance is always tricky - police took anything we were suspicious of for testing, but there was never anything conclusive on a vape.

“One of the challenges is that the cannabis vapes don't have the distinctive smell, which is a worry as potentially a young person could be under the influence without anyone being aware.”

Some school leaders reported not being aware of issues involving illicit substances in vapes, and one said it was be difficult to track because they would just be recorded in the statistics as drug incidents.

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In July, a shocking study led by University of Bath professor Chris Pudney found one in every six vapes found in English schools tested positive for Spice, compared to roughly one in every 100 containing THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.

Prof Pudney said that before he carried out the testing, “most forces and schools would say to me they think they have some cannabis vapes, but actually they have very little cannabis and mostly Spice”.

He said: “Unless your [Scottish] authorities are getting testing done, they won't know if it is cannabis [THC] or Spice.”

The professor said the same drivers existed across the UK, including that THC [cannabis] vapes are expensive and are often required to be imported from America at a cost of between £15 and £60, while Spice is at least a third that price and is easily available online, often via Snapchat or Telegram, and can be delivered to a house.

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“We think most young people are being told they are getting a 'cannabis vape', but actually substituted for Spice, purely for price,” he said.

“So all those things combined come into play and I would have full confidence, though no evidence, that the 'cannabis' vapes [recorded by Scottish schools] are actually Spice for those reasons.”

Public Health Scotland’s rapid action drug alerts and response (RADAR) quarterly ​findings showed reports of synthetic cannabinoids and THC vapes increased to 13 between April and July this year, up from four in the previous quarter.

There was said to be an increase in the number of reports of overdose clusters, public overdoses, sudden collapse and wounds and infections, and several reports related to young people, some of which included adverse effects, hospitalisations and mental health concerns.

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“The drug supply appears increasingly toxic and unpredictable," the report said.

“We have received reports and toxicology data highlighting that a range of drugs are suspected to be adulterated – meaning a substance is added to a drug product to either intentionally or unintentionally change its composition, quality or strength.”

It added: "THC vapes are increasingly reported to RADAR from areas across Scotland. The majority of these reports relate to young people using THC vapes at school and experiencing adverse effects, with some requiring hospitalisation."

In relation to Spice, the report said: "Since early 2024, RADAR has received several reports regarding the use of synthetic cannabinoids in the community, including ‘herbal Spice’, ‘crystal Spice’ and THC vapes adulterated with synthetic cannabinoids."

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A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Any increase is alarming so we are committed to ensuring young people are educated about the harms of substance use. We are taking forward education in our schools, where children and young people learn about the impact risk-taking behaviour has on life choices and health surrounding a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents.

“We have invested £1.5 million in the Planet Youth initiative on substance use prevention to take community-based action for young people.”

Dr Gulhane said: “It is terrifying that kids of primary school age are using vapes containing extremely dangerous substances.

“Our schools should be drug-free and it is deeply concerning that the number of kids affected is likely to be even higher.

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“The Scottish Conservatives have repeatedly called for more to be done to tackle this growing problem, including outlining plans which would bring laws on vaping in line with regulations on smoking.”

NHS Ayrshire and Arran confirmed to The Scotsman one person under the age of 18 had been admitted to hospital in the period with a vaping-related disorder.

Several councils, including Aberdeen and West Lothian, said they had no incidents in their schools in the past three years where pupils have been caught with vape pens thought to contain cannabis or Spice.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We remain committed to tackling the impact drugs have on our communities. You never really know what it is you are taking, and the safest thing to do is not to take them.

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“Police Scotland is committed to working with our Public Health Scotland partners to monitor the evolving picture surrounding drugs in Scotland. We continue to raise awareness through all our officers.”

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