{"id":10998,"date":"2019-04-10T11:17:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T15:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invisiblepeople.tv\/?p=10998"},"modified":"2022-10-09T07:39:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T11:39:46","slug":"spice-in-the-uk-former-legal-high-worse-than-heroin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invisiblepeople.tv\/spice-in-the-uk-former-legal-high-worse-than-heroin\/","title":{"rendered":"Spice in the UK: Former Legal High Worse Than Heroin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018\u201cI was addicted, very addicted, I was bad. It was hard to get out of, really hard. It\u2019s the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever had to do<\/a>\u2026\u201d\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Zombies”, “spice heads”, “the walking dead”. These are just some of the labels used by the media to stigmatise users of spice, a drug said to be “10 times worse than crack cocaine and heroin<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

A former “legal high”, spice originally appeared on the UK\u2019s streets around 2006 as an alternative to cannabis. Like cannabis, spice can be smoked and is said to produce similar effects of euphoria and relaxation. In reality, its effects are much stronger, much more addictive, and much more unpredictable.<\/p>\n

Since rising in popularity, spice has become increasingly prevalent within vulnerable groups like homeless people, due to affordability and availability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fiver a gram, costs pennies really\u201d one homeless man told the Manchester Evening News.<\/a> \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter if they make it illegal or not\u201d.<\/p>\n

While it is estimated that only around 0.4% of the general population aged 16 to 59 have tried spice<\/a>, in some areas of the UK, such as Manchester, up to 95% of homeless people are estimated to use the drug regularly.<\/p>\n

Despite the visibility of the issue, Government action to tackle spice use has begun and ended with its criminalisation under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (PSA).<\/p>\n

A review conducted by the Government<\/a> in November 2018 reveals the PSA has not reduced the sale and distribution of spice. It has merely pushed the trade underground and street dealers \u2013 who care little for the well-being of their customers \u2013 are now the primary sources of spice.<\/p>\n

Notwithstanding, the Government offers little support to spice addicts. It also ignores the causes which lead to homeless people turning to spice in the first place.<\/p>\n

What Is Spice?<\/h4>\n

Spice is a synthetic cannabinoid similar in composition to cannabis. Until 2016, the sale and supply of spice and similar drugs, such as Black Mamba and K2, was legal.<\/p>\n

Soon after its introduction to the UK, such drugs became widely available in newsagents or specialised shops known as “head shops”. To get around the drug laws at the time, “legal highs” were labelled “incense” and sold under the guise of being “not for human consumption”.<\/p>\n

Spice use has dangerous side effects. It is incredibly addictive, and long-term addiction and withdrawal symptoms include:<\/p>\n