Up to one-quarter of vapes confiscated in secondary schools in England contain the dangerous synthetic drug ‘spice’, according to a new study led by Professor Chris Pudney from the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bath.
Researchers analysed 1,923 e-cigarettes and e-liquids, collected from 114 schools across seven regions in England, expanding on a report from last year. While spice was found in 13% of samples overall, the figure rose to around 25% in two regions – London and Lancashire.
The new study also revealed that spice-laced vape liquids are easily available online, with researchers uncovering a widespread and overt market on social media platforms. These products are often deceptively marketed as ‘THC’ vapes, despite containing spice – a far more dangerous and cheaper substance. THC is the active ingredient in cannabis.
The team surveyed online accounts from three social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok) over a three-month period, tracking accounts purporting to sell ‘THC’. They found that as the demographic of social media platforms gets younger, more of the e-liquids marketed as ‘THC’ (cannabis) are extremely likely to be spice: 12% for Facebook and 68% for TikTok. This is mirrored in the real-world data, where only 1.2% of vapes and e-liquids confiscated in schools contained THC compared to 13% containing spice.
Commenting on these findings, Professor Pudney said: “Spice e-liquids are trivially available on social media like TikTok and Instagram, with apparent drug dealing on these platforms. A simple search of social media platforms brings up hundreds of accounts selling this material, making them incredibly easy for young people to find.
“Spice is much cheaper than THC. Young people think they’re buying a cannabis product but instead they’re being pushed a highly addictive, cheap drug with unpredictable and serious health effects, such as psychosis, seizures and heart problems.”
Beyond the immediate health risks, spice is highly addictive. Users describe withdrawal from the drug as being as challenging as heroin withdrawal, underscoring the severity of its impact and the pressing need for tighter safeguards and regulation.
The role of the Online Safety Act
The study’s authors are calling for Ofcom – the UK’s media and communications regulator – to open a specific enforcement programme dedicated to online drug sales.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has been given strong powers to stop the sale of illegal drugs on social media platforms. Platforms are expected to assess the risk that their services could be used to sell or promote illegal drugs, and the regulator can issue fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company’s global annual revenue, whichever is greater, in penalties.
Professor Pudney said: “The Online Safety Act needs to be used to compel social media companies to find and remove the accounts selling these drugs to children. We are calling for Ofcom to be properly resourced and directed to open a specific enforcement programme dedicated to online drug sales.
“People who use spice are at high risk of coercion and abuse by drug dealers. This is a failure of online safety that is causing direct harm to children.”
Availability on social media
As well as directly testing vapes and e-liquids from schools, the researchers analysed digital content on three social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
The study’s analysis, conducted between June and August 2025, identified 120 TikTok accounts and 83 Instagram accounts apparently offering 'THC' e-liquids for sale – despite THC being a controlled substance whose advertisement is illegal.
Thanks to extensive lab experience analysing vapes and e-liquids from schools, the researchers were able to identify spice-containing e-liquids with 96% accuracy by visually triaging the online images. Visual analysis revealed that nearly 70% of TikTok accounts and over 50% of Instagram accounts claiming to sell THC were actually selling spice.
The response from social media platforms so far has not resolved this issue
Researchers made the major social media companies aware of this issue in March 2025 via the Drugs on Social Media Working Group chaired by Fiona Spargo-Mabbs (CEO of the drug education charity, Daniel Spargo-Mabbs (DSM) Foundation. Both TikTok and Meta (owner of both Facebook and Instagram) have confirmed the information has been passed to the relevant teams within their organisations.
However, as of September 1, 2025, a significant number (around 70%) of accounts tracked by researchers are still online and easily accessible through simple keyword searches.
Professor Pudney and the DSM Foundation welcome the efforts of the contacted companies but assert they should take far more robust action to monitor, identify and remove these accounts completely, to prevent drugs-related criminal activity.
Professor Pudney said: “We have clearly detailed this issue to the major social media companies.”
“About 70% of accounts that we have identified and tracked are still online and easily accessible. The response of these platforms appears insufficient to tackle this urgent issue.”
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, director and founder of the DSM Foundation said: “As we start another academic year, we’re very concerned that we’re going to see increased use – and increased harm from the use – of spice by teenagers, as a result of the ongoing visibility of vapes being sold as THC on their social media platforms.
“This important research has clearly shown that until this is adequately addressed, young people will continue to be exposed to potentially significant risk from this potent substance, to an extent we haven’t seen before.”
This study is a collaboration between the University of Bath, University College London, the University of Glasgow, MANchester Drug Analysis & Knowledge Exchange (MANDRAKE), Manchester Metropolitan University, Teesside University, the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, and the University of Bristol.
The findings from this study cover the 2024-2025 academic year. The work builds on a 2023-2024 analysis of vapes confiscated in schools.