Teen Collapses After Chewing 45 Pieces Of Nicotine Gum
A 14-year-old boy collapsed at school after chewing 45 pieces of nicotine gum, containing a staggering 90mg of nicotine, over the space of just 25 minutes.
Aiden complained of stomach pains after collapsing in his school playground and admitted to having eaten nicotine gum that was given to him by another student. The student in question received the gum after an assessment by the Drug Education, Counselling and Confidential Advice (Decca) group, who had been called in over concerns about his smoking habit.
The mother of 14-year-old Aiden Williams, a student at at Menzies High School Science College, West Bromwich, in the UK, was concerned that children as young as 12 are able to obtain nicotine gum over the counter without their parents’ knowledge:
I know what my son did was stupid, but if anything it proves that these kids can’t be given responsibility for taking medication that could do serious harm.
According to DECCA policy, it is not necessary to inform parents when nicotine gum is given to students.
DECCA Service manager Margaret Storrie gave the following statement regarding the incident:
DECCA is a confidential service engaging with young people and we do offer nicotine replacement gum to help young smokers quit.
We always encourage young people to speak to their parents and we often organise meetings with family members so young people get the support they need.
Aiden overdosing on gum like this is the first time such an incident has happened and we are disappointed to hear about it.
Aiden’s friend who was originally given the gum would have been told very clearly how often to use it by the worker who gave it to him.
We always make sure clients understand not to give out their gum to anyone else.
We will investigate the incident and will continue to ensure that young people know about the dangers of giving the gum to others as well as the correct dosage.
Aiden recovered from his nicotine overdose and returned home after spending 24 hours in hospital for observation.
[...] staggering 90mg of nicotine in less than half an hour is a stupid idea in any book, but 14-year-old Aiden Williams is just as much a victim of stupid policy as he is of his own [...]