Bulldogbill91 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 'Zombie' drug xylazine found in cannabis THC vapes in UK By Michelle Roberts Digital health editor 10 April 2024 IMAGE SOURCE, PA MEDIA People using cannabis THC vapes risk inhaling a very dangerous substance called xylazine, UK experts warn after discovering some confiscated products contained the "zombie" drug. The sedative, designed to put big animals such as cows and horses to sleep, can be lethal for humans. It is "alarming" to find it in "even a few" illicit e-cigarettes that many think are pretty harmless, experts say. It puts people, as well as those who inject or take strong drugs, at risk. The illegal global xylazine market has so far mostly seen it mixed with strong opioid drugs, such as heroin or fentanyl. There has been at least one xylazine-related UK death already - and there are fears misuse could grow, as it has in the US. BBC Inside Health: On the trail of a new street drug Dr Caroline Copeland and colleagues from King's College London say new types of illicit xylazine products are now entering the UK market. As well as risky vapes, they found tablets being sold as codeine and diazepam, or Valium, that contained xylazine. The researchers contacted all toxicology laboratories in the UK last year to gather evidence. They also looked at drug-testing results from hauls seized by law enforcement. The findings are published in the journal Addiction. Although the numbers found were small - only two THC vapes and a small number of illegally sold pills out of tens of thousands of products - the experts say it is still extremely concerning. What are cannabis vapes? tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis - and THC vapes are illegal in the UK cannabidiol (CBD) is also a component of the cannabis plant but does not give a high - and CBD oil, including in vapes, is legal to sell in the UK Dr Copeland told BBC News: "People may not realise what they are actually buying. "They think they are getting a THC vape - but it could contain much more than they expect. "It's really alarming." The UK's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recently recommended to the government xylazine be listed as a Class C drug, putting it in the same category as laughing gas, anabolic steroids and benzodiazepines, which would mean people possessing it could be jailed for two years and those dealing it 14 years. The health risks are amplified when it is taken with other strong sedatives. It can cause: difficulty breathing dangerously low blood pressure slowed heart rate wounds that can become infected addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms death It is not clear what level of harm inhaling it might do. Some children and teenagers in the UK have needed hospital treatment after they were thought to have used a vape spiked with another illegal drug, Spice. King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience addictions head Prof Sir John Strang, who was not involved in the study, said: "We need to be constantly alert to changes in the nature of the illicit drug market, especially as these changes sometimes bring new health complications or challenges." A government spokesperson said: "We are aware of the threat from xylazine and are determined to protect people from the threat posed by this drug and other illicit synthetic drugs. "We will not hesitate to act to keep the public safe. Following advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), we intend to make xylazine a Class C drug." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldogbill91 Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 Anyone seen the stickers of cannabis leaves stuck to lampost and bins. It's rife near me atm has qr code and takes you to telegram etc.. probs where they selling this crap to minors 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Military Grade Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Dry herb vapes all the way folks! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stummer Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 2 hours ago, Bulldogbill91 said: Anyone seen the stickers of cannabis leaves stuck to lampost and bins. It's rife near me atm has qr code and takes you to telegram etc.. probs where they selling this crap to minors Heard of these stickers being around a lot of east london. How are they getting rid of shit like that and not expecting to get caught? It’s just proper thick, I know they’ll only ever be low down in the chain but still stupid. If selling shit cut with other drugs then fuck em tbh. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McHazy Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Look at that another win for prohibition hooray 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MySoulIsMine Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Most of the bottles of supposed thc juice is MDMB-4en-PINACA also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 10 hours ago, stummer said: It’s just proper thick, Someone in the pub was showing me instagram, people just selling thc gummies on there. They'd bought some too (said they were very strong). People just don't give as fuck now do they 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hole in the clouds Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Telegram is just absolutely crazy what’s available and at any quantity you desire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banarchylamp Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Hmmm hot dog water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Mix Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 (edited) It’s not just stickers with QR codes in london , huge posters all over with the site name and QR codes , I would post the pics but I ain’t advertising for them usually near stations and bus stops that I’ve seen. @stummerthey use parcel points and mail box shops pay in cash no Royal Mail now days that’s just amateur Edited April 11 by Arthur Mix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 (edited) Those vaps are everywhere up here in scotland. My next door neighbour sells them, cheap as chips too. He shows me his "menu" sometimes, several different vaps, weed, wax and edibles, including weird things like trays of macaroni cheese. My missus comes home from work with a vape pen occasionally, all the girls at her work puff them to help sleep. She has no idea what she is buying. I usually have to tell her the difference between THC / CBD, live resin, distillate etc. Edit to add. The article is by a doctor turned BBC journalist. Edited April 11 by Shogun 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clean Green Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Products of prohibition. Brought to you by British Gov as part of their harm maximisation agenda 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamedodger Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 It’s not just telegram, Facebook ads are pouring in at the mo, they usually take you to telegram though. There’s obviously a market for it, who’d have thought eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stummer Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 On 11/04/2024 at 17:55, Arthur Mix said: It’s not just stickers with QR codes in london , huge posters all over with the site name and QR codes , I would post the pics but I ain’t advertising for them usually near stations and bus stops that I’ve seen. @stummerthey use parcel points and mail box shops pay in cash no Royal Mail now days that’s just amateur maybe I’m a snob, if your looking to sell drugs and are that close to the person buying imo your a mug. Sort of thing you do as a kid and I ain’t preaching using kids like the county lines shit. Everyone with a brain cell knows the people doing well are far away from being on offer. Drugs? What is drugs? Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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