Pubdate: Thu, 14 Apr 2005
Source: Timaru Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2005 Timaru Herald
Contact:  http://www.timaruherald.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1039
Author: Helen Pickering

NITROUS OXIDE RULING PLEASES HEALTH SECTOR

South Canterbury health workers are delighted with the move by the 
Government to make it illegal to sell or buy nitrous oxide (nos) for 
inhalation.

Community and Public Health health promoter Wayne Marriott said their 
belief had been that the Government could make the misuse of nos illegal 
using a section of the medical act and they were pleased the Government had 
now acted on it.

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said nos, also known as laughing 
gas, was a prescription medicine and therefore could not be sold without a 
prescription.

"Authorities will now be warning individuals it is illegal to sell and buy 
nitrous oxide to inhale," he said.

"To do so would be an offence which carries a maximum penalty of six months 
in prison or a $1000 fine."

However, Mr Anderton said it would be "probably unfair" to immediately 
start prosecuting people who had not previously known they were acting 
illegally.

He said police and health enforcement officials would initially hand out 
warnings.

Mr Marriott said it would be a hard law to enforce and the next step would 
be to work out strategies that would allow health professionals and police 
to do so effectively. Advertisement

St John Ambulance district manager Brendon Wood said he did not see much of 
a problem with it in Timaru but probably the district was doing a catch-up.

He said it is used legitimately in medical circles as pain relief and he 
would not like that to change.

However, he said those who misused it over the long term would suffer some 
ill effects.

"We see nos as a habitual rather than addictive substance.

"It provides euphoria but there are neurological effects if it is used 
habitually over the long term.

"There is a slowing down of the transmitters for example."

Some city councils asked the Government to take action over the sale of nos.

Taken with other drugs, it gives a brief and dizzying high when inhaled.

It has been implicated in the deaths of two young men in car crashes in 
Christchurch and Nelson.

"No doubt there will be an appropriate time from which prosecutions would 
begin should illegal sales continue," Mr Anderton said.

However, local shopkeepers say they do not know how they would police such 
a law.

They said unless they went through everyone's bags to check whether they 
had the implements for inhaling it, they would have no way of knowing what 
a customer was going to do with it.

All said demand for the product was high.

Dizzy Spells owner Megan Devries said she had steady demand for the product 
and got in a large supply each week which went quickly.

However, she was now unsure whether she would continue to stock it.

"I don't sell to people under 18 and that's the rule I think should be applied.

"I met with shopkeepers in Christchurch this morning (Wednesday) and they 
were still deciding whether they would keep it.

"The law has still to be passed by Parliament I believe, and we'll probably 
wait and see what happens there.

"The Christchurch shops said they would keep stocking nos until then but 
they weren't going to stock the balloons and crackers anymore.

"You need those things to inhale it so I suppose that's one way of knowing 
whether people are going to inhale it."

Ms Devries believed leaving shopkeepers to police how people would use nos 
was an unfair burden as was the threat of a $1000 fine or six months in prison.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman