After being named the nang capital of Australia, the WA government will now crack (pun unintended) down on those who purchase nitrous oxide canisters.
In a recent study released this month by the University of New South Wales National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, they found that 70 per cent of those surveyed had used nangs to get high in the past six months. This is massive when you compare it to the nationwide average of 45 per cent.
The median number of canisters used during a sesh was also found to have jumped from five last year, to ten this year.
Following that revelation, the WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has come out condemning nangs and will now introduce measures to limit the number of young people using them.
“I can’t overstate how dangerous nitrous oxide gas can be when it is used as a recreational drug,” Sanderson said in a statement.
“With more young people using the gas – and with changing patterns of behaviour – it is important we take steps to protect them.”
From today (October 1), the sale of nitrous oxide will be regulated under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 and will also be reclassified by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as an S6 poison.
This means that canister packaging will need to be labelled with the word poison and have specific warnings against inhalation. Due to the new S6 poison classification, only those 16 and over will be able to purchase nangs.
Nangs, also known as laughing gas and nitrous oxide, can be used as anaesthesia and is also used as a propellant for whipped cream, mousses and foams — hence why it can be bought in stores.
If you’ve been to a festival, you’ve also probably seen those little pesky canisters littered around campsites — and it’s not because there’s a lot of chefs around. Nangs also give a temporary high when inhaled.
However, there is increasing evidence to show that inhaling too many nangs can cause “potentially irreversible neurological damage”.
N₂Ot good.
