'Potent' spice-laced gummies sold on social media

Experts have found "incredibly high concentrations" of a drug known as spice in illegal cannabis gummies being sold online.

The drug-laced gummies, which are made to look like familiar-looking sweet brands in colourful packaging but contain THC, have been seized by Wiltshire Police and are being tested by scientists at the University of Bath.

Professor Chris Pudney, from the university, said he was concerned about the amount of spice which could vary widely - even between gummies in the same pack.

He said consumers would be "rolling the dice with the dosage" and could end up consuming much more than they intended to - something which he described as "remarkably risky".

Experts at the university have tested a large number of gummies seized by police and in most THC, the psychoactive chemical compound found in the cannabis plant, was found.

Pudney said the dosage in each gummy was found to vary, with some having "10 times more" than others.

However, he said the "real worry" was when a synthetic drug like spice started "cropping up in something that is supposed to be a THC edible".

He said the high dosage in some gummies found could pose a "significant risk to someone's life".

In some of the gummies seized and tested the amount of spice found was about 20 times more than an individual might usually smoke, he said.

"It is very potent and you can accidentally consume a massive overdose," he said.

Pudney said the illegal drug-laced gummies were readily available to buy on social media and people were getting them posted directly to their homes.

Gummies are also a concern for Wiltshire Police who are worried about the "really high dosage" and the possibility that the packets could "easily fall into the wrong hands".

Insp Joe Senior, from Swindon Rural Neighbourhood Team, said officers had witnessed people who had "suffered serious illnesses and even died from these gummies".

He said: "They simply did not contain what people thought they were going to contain."

Some packets advertise that they contain 1,000 milligrams, said Senior.

"If that's 1,000 milligrams of THC, that's a really high dose," he said.

He said he was concerned that people could end up with a false sense of security after trying one packet.

He said another packet could have a "completely different make up inside" and people could do themselves "real harm" if they consume them.

"I dread to think what would happen if a five or six-year-old got hold of what is effectively 1,000 milligrams of THC," he said.

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