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| Spice drug leaves Lancaster University students in hospital | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Five students have been taken to hospital, with two in a critical condition, after taking a synthetic cannabis substitute. | |
| Lancaster University posted a Twitter alert about the drug, saying the group had fallen ill on Wednesday after taking the drug Spice . | |
| It urged people to check on their friends and call 999 if necessary. | |
| Three of the students have since been discharged, but two remain in a critical condition. | |
| Lancashire Police said it was carrying out its own investigation into the "nature of the substance" the students have taken. | |
| Ambulances were called to student halls between 18:00 and 19:00 BST on Wednesday, according to Lancaster University's student paper. | |
| Vicky Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for the university, told the Guardian police had called university authorities to tell them that the students had been taken to the Royal Lancaster Hospital. | |
| What are synthetic cannabinoids? | |
| Source: Frank. | |
| "We've got five students who have been taken to hospital with a suspicion that they had taken the drug," she said. | "We've got five students who have been taken to hospital with a suspicion that they had taken the drug," she said. |
| "Of the five, we know that two of them are seriously ill." | "Of the five, we know that two of them are seriously ill." |
| It is understood the five students all knew each other. | It is understood the five students all knew each other. |
| Spice is a plant-based mix which is coated with synthetic chemicals that work on the same part of the brain as the active ingredient in cannabis. | Spice is a plant-based mix which is coated with synthetic chemicals that work on the same part of the brain as the active ingredient in cannabis. |
| It was among a number of legal highs outlawed in 2009 amid growing concerns they posed a threat to users' health. | It was among a number of legal highs outlawed in 2009 amid growing concerns they posed a threat to users' health. |