What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A charity is calling on the government to make the highly-addictive Spice into a Category A drug.

Spice is currently classed as a synthetic cannabinoid, but it can result in psychotic states, overdose, hospital admissions, hallucination, violence and suicidal feelings.

Psychoactive substances such as Spice were once deemed legal, being sold in brightly coloured packaging in shops and online.

But after the Psychoactive Substances Act- which came into force on 26 May 2016- it is now illegal to produce, supply, or import them for human consumption – including for personal use.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Experts are now calling on new Government to help squash Spice epidemic as the recent crisis has led to a 50 per cent rise in addiction.

Daniel Gerrard, founder of Addiction Helper , believes that the term ‘legal high’ is where the problem really started, as it portrayed the drugs as more acceptable to use.

According to the Home Office Drug Misuse Report, 244,000 adults aged between 16-59 and 162,000 aged between 16-24 used such a drug in 2015.

Even more worryingly, Spice itself was the second most popular drug among secondary school pupils and twice as many boys than girls used the drug, according to data from the US University of Michigan in 2015.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Even though the Government eventually identified them as illegal substances, Mr Gerrard doesn’t think this goes far enough and instead is calling on the current Government party campaigns to prioritise making Illegal Highs a certified Class A Drug, with the view that this will deter current users, dealers and will force those still in school to recognise how serious these drugs really are.

The cry comes as Addiction Helper has witnessed a 20 per cent rise in calls in the first three months of 2017 alone regarding illegal highs compared to the same time last year, and a 50 per cent rise in Spice addiction overall in the last 12 months.

Eighty per cent of Addiction Helper’s known increase in Spice addicts are based in the North of England, and experts have warned of ‘over-exposing’ the ‘affordability and readily-available’ drug on the streets.

(Image: Wikipedia)

A Manchester MP told the House of Commons the drug was becoming an “epidemic” in the city.

Lucy Powells aid: “It is putting intolerable pressure on our public services.”

In just one weekend Greater Manchester Police took 58 Spice-related calls, prompting warnings from police chiefs they ‘cannot afford’ for the situation to get any worse.

Mr Gerrard believes that current Government campaigns ahead of the General Election should highlight plans on how to tackle the crisis, and how they each plan to counteract the problem effectively with as little impact on our emergency resources as possible.

He said: “The time for talking is well and truly over, it’s now got to be about action. What will Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn actually do to get a grip of this epidemic and to help save thousands of future addicts lives?”

“Illegal highs like Spice should be classed as Category A Drugs in order to educate those using and those thinking of trying for the first time that extremely serious consequences are attached with this drug.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

“My experience with those addicted to Spice is that they can be very volatile and present with mental health issues, often without mental health being an issue prior to using Spice.

“The fact of the matter is that more and more addicts are dying and the addiction problem continues to rise. Addiction treatment services funded by our new Government should not be reduced because of austerity, as this recent crisis should make quite clear.”