Lethal side to ‘Doing Balloons’

HIPPY Crack, Silver Bullets, Laughing Gas, Doing Balloons – these are just some of the slang for the new craze in Drogheda over recent weeks, which may appear harmless, but can have long-term of lethal side effects.

Local Sinn Féin Councillor Joanna Byrne is urging teenagers and young people to steer clear of this party drug, and become aware of the harmful side to this seemingly innocous activity.

“It has been brought to my attention over the past few days that some of these so called Silver Bullets have been found discarded after use in a few different areas of the town,” says Cllr Byrne.

“These are little silver canisters of nitrous oxide more commonly known as laughing gas, which are inhaled most commonly through balloons. The drug is used to experience the feeling of euphoria and hallucinations and its effects is likened to that of crack cocaine”.

She waened that the consequences of taking this drug includes dangerously fast heart rates, respiratory problems, internal burns and in many cases, fatalities.

“The pockets of air in your blood travelling to your heart or brain can kill you and this can occur by inhaling only one of these canisters,” she adds. “These canisters can be bought in catering wholesalers and very cheaply on the Internet and may appeal to those who want to experiment but fear the use of ‘ hard’ drugs”.

However, she is appealling to young people and parents alike to be more vigilant to the spread of this craze and more importantly to be aware of the potential consequences.

“Nobody wants to be burying our young loved ones but this has the potential to result in death and really is no laughing matter. These drugs are lethal and they can and will kill you.”

Cllr Joanna Byrne intends to raise this at the next Joint Policing Committee directly with An Garda Síochána and has pledged to work with her party Colleague Imelda Munster TD to raise awareness of the dangers of this craze.

At present the gas is legal when sold for purposes like catering equipment or dentistry but is illegal if sold for human consumption under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010.