New drug appears more dangerous than heroin

A new drug called Spice is being sold openly and is being used by many people, making the city of Manchester (UK) look like the setting of the movie 'The Walking Dead'.

Many public places in Manchester (UK) such as outside the Arndale shopping center, Piccadilly Gardens park recently have had images that seem to only appear in horror movies. Many people are walking around aimlessly, lying or sitting motionless like zombies. They are people using "spice", the common name of a new drug that has appeared recently.

It is worth mentioning that Spice is easily purchased and sold openly in stores or on the Internet. For only 6.5 USD (about 150,000 VND), you can buy a package of Spice enough to make the user "high" for 10 hours.

Spice is sold publicly for $6.50. Photo: Andrew Malone/Daily Mail.

The green, odorless, fluffy herb mix goes by names like Black Mamba, K2, and Spice. It produces a high similar to illegal drugs like marijuana or ecstasy, and users become addicted within days.

Black Mamba is a variant of Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid that has similar effects to natural cannabis. However, it is much more potent than cannabis due to its powerful effect on the brain's receptors.

Regular use of Spice can cause relapse or increase the risk of mental illness. Other dangerous effects include seizures, shortness of breath, kidney failure, cardiac arrest, hallucinations, and mental damage.

Some experts say Spice is more harmful than heroin or cocaine. Photo: Andrew Malone/Daily Mail.

Robert Ralphs, a lecturer in criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, told of an encounter with a homeless man addicted to Spice in Piccadilly Gardens. The man, Carl, 50, bought Spice and rolled it into a cigarette to smoke. Within seconds of smoking the Spice, Carl began to show signs of losing control.

Carl said he smoked Spice because it was better for his body than injecting drugs. He tried to quit Spice, but it was harder to quit than heroin. “I felt good and all my troubles would go away when I used Spice,” Carl said.

This drug, when rolled, looks like a normal cigarette and has no smell when smoked, so it is used openly in public places by many people. Spice is a chemical compound produced on an industrial scale in China and India and packaged in eye-catching packages.

The toxic chemicals in Spice are not banned by UK law, so their sale and use are widespread. It is estimated that 95% of Manchester's 3,200 homeless people are using Spice.

Spice is in high demand due to its high number of addicts. Traditional drug dealers such as cocaine and heroin have started selling Spice as well, as it is cheaper and less risky.

Manchester is at the centre of the crisis but the “zombie” epidemic has now spread to other cities such as Birmingham and Cambridge.

Following a spate of Spice-related deaths, the UK government has introduced a new law banning all psychoactive substances that are harmful to mental health. The law will come into effect in May.

According to Zing