Two Scottish teenagers hospitalised after 'one draw' on illegal vape containing unknown substance

Two teenagers were taken to hospital after inhaling an unknown substance from an illegal vape outside their school.

The two boys, from Dalkeith High School, Midlothian, became “violently sick” after drawing from a vape on Tuesday morning in Cousland Road, which runs next to the school premise.

A mother of one of the boys affected said her 14-year-old son was kept in hospital overnight and had to be given four bags of fluid to treat his reaction to the substance.

She said the boys had been offered the vape from a pupil at another school. She claimed it contained THC, a chemical found in cannabis, and was laced with Spice, a synthetic drug made to mimic the effects of cannabis otherwise known as ‘the zombie drug.’

Posting on social media as a warning to other parents, the mother said within 10 to 15 minutes, both boys were in a “very unwell state”.

Two teenagers were taken to hospital after inhaling an illegal vape with an unknown substance. File photo.

She added that her son had been given fluids and had undergone multiple tests before being released from hospital the next day.

The parent said her message on social media was to warn other parents and carers that the reaction her son and his friend had was to “one draw from a vape pen”, and that it could have been fatal.

She added: “Please speak to your children and remind them of the dangers these vape pens can cause [whether] smoking them themselves or giving them to others, because we could have very quickly had two dead 14 year old boys on our hands yesterday.

“The police are aware and I will be pushing more until something is done so this can never happen again under the roof of the school where our kids should be safe.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.30pm on Tuesday, 4 March, 2025, police were made aware two boys aged 14, were taken to hospital after inhaling an illegal vape containing an unknown substance in Cousland Road, Dalkeith.

“Both boys have since been released and enquiries into the incident are ongoing.”

A Public Health Scotland report on drugs last year found a clear increase in the use of new synthetic drugs.

Dr Tara Shivaji, a consultant at PHS, said through RADAR, Scotland’s drug harms early warning system, there had been “a notable rise in the availability of new synthetic drugs like nitazenes, bromazolam, and xylazine, whose potency makes them particularly lethal.”

She said these drugs, often mixed with other substances, can cause harmful effects that even experienced drug users cannot predict.

A Midlothian Council spokesman said: “We can confirm two pupils became unwell at Dalkeith High School on Tuesday. Both pupils were taken to hospital and later released. The school is supporting the pupils and their families while Police Scotland investigate.

“Dalkeith High School, and indeed schools across Midlothian, will be reminding pupils of the dangers of substance misuse and vaping, which are banned across the school estate.

“If families or anyone is concerned about underage vaping or substance abuse then get medical help immediately if the young person is unwell and call Police Scotland.”