A TEENAGE boy from Chelmsford almost died after taking a cannabis substitute bought over a shop counter.

The 16-year-old, a student at South Essex College, was taken to Southend Hospital after being found in a drug-induced stupor in Southend.

He had been seen running into the road before his legs gave way and he collapsed.

Paramedics and police officers were told he had smoked a substance known as Pandora’s Box, a legal high purchased from a shop called Oh Yeah in Southchurch Road.

His mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said she did not know for three hours whether he would live or die and nearly had a heart attack as his heartbeat shot up to 200 beats per minute.

She said: “I could have been arranging his funeral right now instead of Christmas, that’s how dangerous this stuff is.

“I’m not trying to defend my son because he did something really stupid but where is the logic in the fact that he would be turned away trying to buy poison in a hardware store but could just go into one of these shops and get this stuff in a pretty packet no questions asked?”

He was was found in Warrior Square, Southend, at about 11.30am last Thursday.

Meanwhile a 19-year-old was also reported unwell in Tyrell Drive at 12.10pm the same day.

Both teenagers, who did not know each other, have now been released from hospital.

Chief Insp Glen Pavelin led Essex Police’s week of action on legal highs last week and said officers had been visiting schools to give children advice.

He said: "Although these substances are branded as legal, their composition is largely unknown.

“Some being potentially unsafe and others feasibly contain illegal substances. Most retailers were unaware of the potential health risks to their customers or the legal risks to themselves.”

The owner of the shop where the drug was bought has confirmed it has been taken off their shelves.