The scary reason you should NEVER share your friend’s vape – and it’s not germs
As our calendars fill up for the busy holidays, most of us will be catching up with friends.
And when we let ourselves down, the temptation to share a friend’s vape can arise after just a few drinks.
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Many of us don’t think twice about sharing vapes with friends, despite the potentially life-threatening risks it poses.
In fact, according to one expert, germs should be the least of your worries when it comes to sharing the fruity-flavored pens with your friends.
So much so that just one hit of dodgy vape can leave you temporarily paralyzed.
This is due to the frightening rise in vaping in Britain.
Vapes are reportedly spiked with drugs including GHB, ketamine and rohypnol, as well as types of synthetic cannabis including Black Mamba and Spice.
Mum-of-three Emma Sugrue-Lawrence, 46, knows this all too well.
The first responder had unknowingly inhaled a paralyzing drug that had been put into her vapor by a complete stranger in August 2021.
Within minutes of taking a puff the mother, from Telford, Shrops, started feeling unwell in a smoking area in a bar.
She recalls: “I started sweating profusely and felt very disoriented.
“It felt like I had taken drugs. I leaned against the railing and my legs just went away. Then I lost the use of my body.
“I was paralyzed, but I knew what was happening. It was gruesome. Slumped on the ground, I couldn’t open my eyes or even hold my head up.”
Emma remembers vomiting and passing out shortly afterwards, waking up in the hospital several hours later.
She quickly realized she had fallen victim to vape spiking.
If your friend passes on his vape to share, the risk of this happening is even greater, warns nicotine retail expert Markus Lindblad.
What are the new vaping laws?
Ministers have vowed to crack down on poorly regulated vaping and e-cigarettes after an explosion in the number of teenagers using them.
The new rules for manufacturers and retailers are expected to come into effect in late 2024 or early 2025.
They are set to include the following:
- Higher tax rates on vapes increase the price and make it harder for children to afford them
- A ban on single-use vaping devices in favor of rechargeable devices
- A ban on colorful and cartoonish packaging that could appeal to young people
- Stricter controls on flavorings and a ban on unnecessarily sweet or child-friendly flavorings such as chewing gum and candy
- More regulations on how and where they are displayed in stores, potentially causing them to disappear from view
- Tougher penalties for stores caught selling them to under-18s
The ban on disposable vapes is part of ambitious government plans to tackle the rise in vaping among young people.
A report published last June by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found that 20.5 percent of children in Britain had tried vaping in 2023, up from 15.8 percent in 2022 and 13.9 percent in 2020.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also announced plans to impose a tax on imported e-cigarettes and manufacturers, making vapes more expensive.
The excise tax will apply to the liquid in vapes, with higher levels for products with more nicotine.
“The most important tip to stay safe from vape spikes is to avoid sharing vapes,” he says.
“While you may know what’s in your vape, you don’t know what someone else put in theirs.
“This is especially relevant when it comes to sharing open-system vapes, as they can be manually filled with any liquid.
“Although the Met Police have identified THC and the drug Spice as the main culprits, more than 100 different drugs have been identified in vape spike cases.”
Markus also urged the British to thoroughly analyze any fumes before taking a hit.
“Whether the vape you ‘borrow’ has been with you the entire time or not, it is essential to check the vape to ensure it has not been tampered with,” he warns.
“If it is reusable, check the capsule to see if the top has been removed and whether it appears as if liquid has been added or discarded.
“If it looks like it has been tampered with at all, don’t use it.”
