Vapegate: The Stealthy Rise of ‘Zombie’ Chemicals in UK’s Underground Vape Scene

In the shadowy corners of the UK’s vape market, a sinister trend is unfurling, and it’s got users and experts on high alert. Imagine this: You’re puffing away on what you think is a harmless THC vape, chasing that blissful high, only to discover you’ve inhaled something straight out of a horror flick—xylazine, a sedative so potent it’s used to knock out horses and cows. Yeah, you read that right. This “zombie” drug, as it’s ominously dubbed, has infiltrated the cannabis THC vape scene, turning what many assumed was a benign pastime into a potential dance with death.

Here’s the lowdown: Xylazine, this veterinary tranquilizer turned public menace, isn’t just for animals anymore. It’s breaking into the illicit drug scene, and the consequences are downright terrifying. A recent swoop on the market by UK watchdogs unearthed this ghastly ingredient in not just a couple but several illicit THC vapes. And the kicker? It’s as dangerous as it sounds. For humans, this sedative can spell lethal outcomes, raising alarms across the board.

The dark twist doesn’t end there. Beyond the shadowy vape clouds, xylazine has been masquerading in pills peddled as codeine and diazepam, broadening its eerie grip on the drug scene. King’s College London’s own Dr. Caroline Copeland and her team have been on the case, piecing together this puzzle with evidence from toxicology labs and law enforcement seizures. Their findings, published in Addiction, spotlight the chilling reality of these drug cocktails making rounds on the streets.

With at least one UK fatality already on record and the drug’s misuse ballooning in the US, the situation is dire. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has sounded the alarm, pushing to classify xylazine alongside other Class C substances. But the danger isn’t just about legality; it’s about survival. The health risks of mixing this sedative with other drugs, or even inhaling it, are a laundry list of nightmares: difficulty breathing, plummeting blood pressure, a snail-paced heart rate, and wounds that turn viciously infected.

But here’s where it gets real—some UK kids have landed in the hospital, suspected victims of vapes spiked with another illegal nightmare, Spice. It’s a stark reminder from Prof Sir John Strang of King’s College London that the drug market’s chameleon-like changes bring new terrors and trials.

As the government locks horns with this growing threat, vowing to shield the public from the shadowy reaches of xylazine and its ilk, the story unfolding is one of caution, intrigue, and a sobering call to vigilance in the vape clouds of the UK’s underground scene.

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