VSA Headlines - November 2018

This month the Home Office published their Review of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

"In conclusion, most of the main aims of the PSA appear to have been achieved, with the open sale of NPS largely eliminated, a significant fall in NPS use in the general population, and a reduction in health-related harms which is likely to have been achieved through reduced usage.

"However, some areas of concern have remained or emerged since the Act, such as the supply of NPS by street dealers, the continued development of new substances, the potential displacement from NPS to other harmful substances, and continued high levels of synthetic cannabinoid use among the homeless and prison populations."

Other VSA headlines this month include:-

UK

Football fan inhaled fatal amount of gas prior to car crash: A driver who died after crashing into a parked car had inhaled a fatal amount of gas prior to the incident.

Mother believes cause is 'unexplained': The mother of a boy, 13, found with butane in his blood says his death is unexplained due to a lack of evidence. A pathologist said it was not possible to give a definitive cause while a coroner gave a narrative conclusion of "sudden death of a person exposed to significant amounts of butane".

BMJ: Laughter isn’t always the best medicine: Recreational inhalation of nitrous oxide (N2O) is under-recognised in the UK, with potentially serious health risks.

Sixth consecutive annual fall in drug seizures revealed: For the first time, figures for New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) have been included, with 1,523 seizures in the past year. The 1,523 NPS seizures were made up of 858 of synthetic cannabinoids, with other NPS accounting for 448 seizures, NPS powders 135 seizures and nitrous oxide 96 confiscations.

'We are in an experimenting epidemic' says charity as poll finds two in five Northamptonshire teens knows someone who has tried solvents or gases: The data, compiled by county-based charity Solve It following a poll of 1,376 youngsters aged between 15 and 17, highlights the extent of what's been called an "experimenting epidemic".

Man spotted sniffing solvents in Nuneaton library: The county council said a zero-tolerance policy on anti-social behaviour is in force.

Dangerous and can kill’ - Police find evidence of drug taking beside Suffolk village hall: Police have warned of the dangers of drug use after finding empty canisters of laughing gas by a Suffolk village hall.

Dozens of 'laughing gas' canisters litter Cambridge street: It is illegal to sell or import nitrous oxide for human consumption.

Hundreds of ravers descend on Great Cheverell: An illegal rave which saw hundreds of people descend on a village near Devizes caused traffic chaos and left a huge clean up job of debris including needles, cannisters and balloons used for taking nitrous oxide.

Picture shows Harlow car park 'littered with nitrous oxide canisters': A witness claimed that there were hundreds of the canisters.

Worries after gas canisters found in Sainsbury's car park: Concerns have been raised about drugs use in the car park of a town centre supermarket.

Worrying laughing gas 'epidemic' in Fairford (Gloucs): A resident in Fairford has described the use of so-called ‘laughing gas’ canisters in the area as an “epidemic”.

IRELAND

Ireland's not-so-black market of Laughing Gas: Brazen Irish retailers are selling dangerous nitrous oxide gas online — by using major Irish music festivals to encourage party-goers to stock up.

NETHERLANDS

19-year-old dies after inhaling deodorant spray to get high: A 19-year-old died after inhaling deodorant spray to get high, according to a new case report, and doctors who treated the man in the Netherlands are using the case to highlight the fatal consequences of inhaling chemicals.

USA

Driver who hit Girl Scouts, killing four, was 'huffing' chemicals, police said: The Wisconsin man who struck a Girl Scout troop while they were picking up trash on the side of a road, killing three children and a parent and injuring a fourth girl, admitted that he was inhaling chemical vapors before the crash, police said Monday.

Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) Responds to Girl Scouts' Death in Huffing and Driving Accident: "Too many people think that inhaling products to get high is harmless," said Rob Slone, President of the Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) Board of Trustees. "We see too often the dangerous and deadly effects of huffing and driving," Slone said. "By continuing to proactively educate people on how deadly huffing can be, we can save lives—and ACE is dedicated to this critically important objective."In the Spring of 2019, ACE will be distributing an updated version of its Inhalant Abuse Prevention Kits. Since 2002 it has provided individuals, teachers, and state education departments with the resources and information they need to prevent abuse.

Family loses 34-year-old father of 2 during walk along Collins Avenue (FL): [The man responsible] was likely under the influence of "whippets" inhalant drug when he veered off Collins Avenue onto the sidewalk, and ran over the Pelleg family.

Driver charged with killing 11-year-old girl at taco stand in Los Angeles while high on nitrous oxide (CA): A man has been charged with killing an 11-year-old girl at a Los Angeles taco stand while he was allegedly driving under the influence of nitrous oxide last year, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Greeley man accused of attacking couple with meat cleaver after huffing computer duster sentenced to 13 years prison (CO): A couple were attacked while loading their car for fishing trip.

Huffing claims lives in Racine County (WI):  However, it wasn’t the huffer themselves that died, it was an accident caused by the person who was huffing.

Norfolk man arrested for huffing, child abuse (NE): A two-year-old child was found in the back seat of a man’s vehicle Sunday afternoon after he was observed slumped forward in the driver’s seat.

Omaha officials warn of new huffing trend among teens (WA): Lincoln police took to Facebook with a warning for parents after multiple teens stole air horns in an attempt to get high. One of those teenagers ended up in a hospital.

Other VSA-associated arrests took place in OH, UT and WI. (NB - many US stories are now inaccessible due to new GDPR legislation.

CANADA

Serious Need for Culturally Relevant – Land Based Treatment Centres: “The abuse of alcohol, solvents, opiates, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine is a serious concern amongst our leaders. This is a critical time for the health of our First Nation citizens.”

INDIA

Drug Abuse: Maiden de-addiction policy ‘glimmer of hope’, but implementation a challenge (Srinagar): ... The draft policy seeks “laws needed for restriction of sale of solvent containing compounds especially to minors. There should be special directions to teachers and parents to supervise the use of solvent containing products by children and adolescents”.

MALAYSIA

New legislation, the Inhalant Act, could curb ketum misuse and glue sniffing menace: The proposal to ban the growing of ketum and introduce the Inhalants Act is timely as it could help tackle the misuse of the plant and combat glue sniffing menace respectively.

AUSTRALIA

Teenager from NSW dead at Schoolies end of year celebrations on Gold Coast: The Sydney teenager who fell to his death from a Gold Coast balcony in the early hours of Thursday morning had reportedly been ingesting nitrous oxide before he died.

New plan to keep East Arnhem petrol sniffers on country and close to family (NT): A new plan to combat petrol sniffing in East Arnhem Land is being discussed with government officials this week, with the central aim of keeping kids on their home country for treatment.

ETHIOPIA

Glue sniffing street children of Ethiopia: He looked no older than 12 years old. He was sitting on the floor of the veranda of the Ethiopian National Theatre with other street kids.