|
 In a letter to parliament Deputy Health Minister Paul Blockhuis said
"recreational use of laughing gas has become a drugs problem, and
therefore the Opium Law is the right route to tackle this."
Use of the gas will continue to be allowed by dentists as a pain
killer, and by food makers as a propellant in whipped cream cans.
When inhaled, the drug creates a short-lasting euphoria popularly
considered harmless. But Blockhouse said that in addition to danger
of users losing consciousness and falling and bumping their heads,
or of getting in traffic accidents, use of the drug could also cause
"brain damage."
"We can no longer accept the risks taken with the health of youth in
particular," he said.
[to top of second column] |
Laughing gas had long been a fringe phenomenon at festivals, where
stronger drugs are often used. But when laughing gas started
cropping up on street corners in the past three years, authorities
became concerned.
Often sold in small metal cannisters of compressed gas that are
emptied into balloons before the gas is inhaled, litter from used
cannisters and balloons has become a nuisance on streets and in
parks.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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