Source: Radio New Zealand
Cartridge of nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas or nangs, can cause serious health problems. AFP/ GARO
A significant jump in the recreational use of nitrous oxide, or nangs, has community leaders worried, with claims big canisters of the gas are being marketed to children.
Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas, known as laughing gas, which is used as a painkiller in medical and dental procedures.
It is also used in catering to make whipped cream.
If inhaled recreationally nangs can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.
Under the Psychoactive Substances Act it’s illegal to sell the product for recreational use.
In recent weeks, dozens of the discarded canisters have started turning up in the Hawke’s Bay prompting a crisis meeting.
Stewart Whyte of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga called the hui and told Checkpoint they were made aware of the issue through a retailer in the area.
“We just got a contact through one of the retailers here that actually works with oxygen bottles for dive supplies and things like that… and he had collected quite a few apple bins [worth] over a short period of time.”
A 1.6 litre cannister of nitrous oxide. Photo / File Supplied
Whyte said the largest canisters they had found had been around the size of a large thermos flask.
“They’re marketed in such a way that they’re very colourful and obviously aimed at young people. They certainly don’t look like industrial canisters for making whipped cream.”
While medical grade nitrous oxide is mixed with oxygen, Whyte said these canisters are purely nitrous oxide, making them extremely dangerous.
“These big canisters, I believe, have about 300 hits within each one.”
Whyte is worried the problem is bigger than what anyone is anticipating.
“It seems to me that it’s gone under the radar for quite a long period of time. I think the use of this particular substance though has spiked. Certainly the evidence of the empty canisters turning up at this company would be evidence of that.”
“There are huge side effects, quite dangerous to people’s health for the use of this product. So it is quite concerning.”
He said with evidence that nangs have contributed to fatalities on the roads, it is clear the gas is already affecting whanau.
“There is impacts already that can evidence people have been seriously hurt, the nervous system’s damaged, people have been blacking out for 30 minutes or longer,”
“While it might be a short-term, 30-second hit for a young person, what we need to do really quite clearly and quickly is to inform our community that these products are out there and at the moment they’re readily available through retail outlets with very little law to protect our young people from the danger that they present.”
A meeting with community leaders was held two weeks ago to discuss the issue.
Whyte said leaders landed on a two-step approach to addressing their concerns.
“One is educating and informing our community of the danger of this particular product. The second one is to try and get our retailers together that are offering this product to see if there’s a willingness for them to not supply it.”
“That would be the best outcome that we could achieve.”
He said they also want politicians to look at the law around selling nitrous oxide, banning it from dairies and vape stores, and making it available only from licensed premises that deal in catering.
“I think that would be the logical next step, but it’s a longer-term project.”
“There’s no reason for them to be in a dairy.”
Whyte said their number one priority is to spread awareness within the community, something that he said he has already seen rising.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
