DYING FOR
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MALL silver canisters littering streets and parks have become a common sight in Wales, especially after large gatherings during lockdown.
They might look like just another part of the growing rubbish problem, but the sheer amount illustrates how they are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to get high.
The discarded canisters, which can cost as little as 50p, actually contain nitrous oxide, but while it might also be known as “laughing gas”, there is nothing very funny about the dangers it can hold.
A recent Global Drug Survey listed it as the fourth most used drug in the UK, behind ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis.
But while it might not be as dangerous as some of the drugs on that list, chronic use of laughing gas – also known as “noz” and “hippy crack” – can be a real danger and cause many problems for the longterm health of users, and there have even been deaths recorded. Nitrous oxide use has been linked to 17 deaths across the UK in the past three years.
A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said: “Nitrous oxide has several legitimate uses, but when inhaled it can cause unconsciousness or death due to a lack of oxygen. Mixing alcohol with nitrous oxide can be fatal.
“It is illegal, in England and Wales, for anyone to sell nitrous oxide to people under-18 if they think they are likely to be inhaling it.”
Its legal uses include as an anaesthetic in hospitals, or in the hospitality industry to charge large canisters of whipped cream, but despite it being outlawed in 2016, many people continue to use it.
Health problems include memory loss, disorientation and disassociation, but one of the most serious is the degeneration of the spinal cord.
And it doesn’t stop there, nitrous oxide can cause dizziness and affect your judgement, creating a risk of accidents.
In large quantities it can also cause the user to faint or pass ss out, and if nitrous oxide is s inhaled through the mouth h from a pressurised gas canister or in a confined space it can cause sudden death through lack of oxygen.
Heavy, regular use of the drug can cause a deficiency of vitamin B12 and a form of anaemia. Severe vitamin B deficiency can cause serious nerve damage.
Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas that when inhaled can make people feel euphoric and relaxed, but it can also cause some people to have hallucinations. The effects are caused by the drug slowing down the brain.
Nitrous oxide is normally bought in pressurised canisters. It is then