⚠️ Staff — before you start: keep every example at pattern level, never a personal story in the open room. If a pupil begins to disclose, stop the task calmly and follow the school safeguarding procedure. Note anyone who goes quiet and offer a private word afterwards.
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🔬
🛟
🤝
✔Tell the difference between a rumour and a tested fact.
✔Understand why unregulated vapes are risky — whatever the rumour says.
✔Know exactly what to do if someone becomes unwell.
How we'll know it landed
You can say what was actually found, why "you can't know what's inside" is the real risk, and the three steps to keep a mate safe.
What's been happening
You might have heard about "Mazz" vapes
Over the last week there's been talk locally — on social media and in the news — about something called a "Mazz" vape.
The name is new around here. It started after a child became unwell in another county, and then rumours spread fast online.
💬 Turn & talk: Where do most rumours like this actually come from — and how quickly do they spread before anyone checks if they're true?
@group_chat
“it's basically just water bro”
🔥 42↻ 9
@someone_confident
“you can tell the safe ones by the box”
🔥 31↻ 6
@a_lad_in_year_11
“my cousin knows a guy, his are proper”
🔥 27↻ 4
🔬 WHAT TESTING ACTUALLY FOUND
The box tells you nothing about what's inside. Contents vary batch to batch. See the findings on the next slide.
no likes↻ 0
@group_chat
“it's basically just water bro”
🔥 42↻ 9
CONFIDENCE ISN'T EVIDENCE
● WHY THE RUMOUR WINS
A rumour fits in one sentence and sounds certain. A finding needs a paragraph and says “it varies”.
Ask who tested it · ask how they know · “my cousin knows a guy” is not a source · the box is marketing, not a label ·
The loudest post in that feed has the most likes and the least evidence. That's usually how it goes.
Rumour vs fact
So they tested it — and here's what they found
Cleveland & Durham Police got hold of samples and sent them for proper lab testing.
🗣️ The rumour said…
Mazz vapes were "spiked" with fentanyl, amphetamines and other drugs.
🔬 The test actually found…
A synthetic cannabinoid (a SPICE-type chemical, "MDMB‑4en‑PINACA"). No fentanyl or amphetamines were found in these samples.
"It's definitely full of fentanyl." — a rumour isn't a fact until someone checks. Always wait for the evidence.
That's why the rumour usually wins the room — it's shorter, not truer.
The real risk
The rumour was wrong — the danger is still real
Here's the part that matters most:
1. An illegal or unregulated vape isn't checked, labelled or made safely.
2. That means you literally cannot know what's inside it — this batch was SPICE; the next could be something else.
3. SPICE can cause agitation, confusion, memory loss, being sick, and trouble breathing.
Bottom line: the safest vape is no vape — but if it's not a sealed, shop-bought, regulated product, no one can promise what's in it.
Looking out for each other
Spotting when a mate needs help
You don't need to be a doctor. If someone seems really unwell after using something, the signs to watch for are:
😵💫 Very confused, agitated or "not themselves"
🤢 Feeling sick or being sick
🫁 Struggling to breathe, or breathing slowly
😴 Drowsy, hard to wake, or passing out
You don't have to figure out what they took. If they seem unwell, that's enough — get help.
What to do
Three steps that keep someone safe
1. Stay with them. Don't leave someone who's unwell on their own.
2. Get an adult. Tell a member of staff straight away — or call 999 if it's serious.
3. Tell the truth. Say what you saw. Telling someone to keep a person safe is never grassing.
Remember: in a moment like that, the grown‑ups around you care about one thing first — that everyone's okay.
Where to get help
If you've got questions or worries
It's completely okay to want honest answers without being judged.
🤝 A trusted adult at school — your tutor, a teacher, or the safeguarding team.
📞 FRANK — free, confidential drug info and advice: talktofrank.com · 0300 123 6600.
👨👩👧 Someone at home you trust.
Worried about a friend rather than yourself? That counts too — speaking up early is one of the kindest things you can do.
Exit ticket
Quick check — no pressure
Q1. When the police tested "Mazz" vapes, what did they actually find?
Q2. What's the real reason an unregulated vape is risky?
Q3. A mate becomes unwell. What's the first thing you do?
Nothing added yet.
🔒 What you type is never shown on this screen and is not saved on this device. Only staff can open it, on paper, and only they decide what happens next.
If you need someone tonight: any adult here, or your form tutor tomorrow morning — outside school, Childline 0800 1111 is free, any time, and doesn't show on the bill.
👩🏫 TA Focus — this slide
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🎯 Cold Call
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Roster (one per line — saved on this device, shared with your other lessons):
Saved on this device · clears itself after 14 days
✅ Nice work
You can spot a rumour, you know the real risk, and you know how to keep someone safe. That's exactly the point.