Substance misuse treatment for young people: statistics 2018 to 2019 reports that 380 young people are currently in treatment services for VSA. They are aged between 13-17 with a median age of 15. The figure in 2017-18 was 387, again with a median age of 15.
Other headlines from around the world this month include:
UK
Dad couldn't get defibrillator in bid to save son's life - due to no phone signal: [He] jumped in his car, in Hockwold, and dashed to the village hall to find a defibrillator to use on his son, 13-year-old Jack, who had been found unresponsive in his room.
Trial of mum accused of supplying drugs to teen son before he died is postponed: ... They are also accused of sniffing aerosols together in February - before Tyler was found dead hours later.
Surrey PCC calls on Home Office action on Nitrous Oxide: PCC David Munro says the drug is too easy for young people to get hold of and is now an anti-social behaviour issue in Surrey.
Amazon and eBay 'must block illicit nitrous oxide sales': A trading standards expert has warned online stores need to "take responsibility" to prevent the illicit sale of nitrous oxide. The gas - dubbed "laughing gas" or "nos" - is being sold with equipment needed to take it as a high on sites like Amazon and eBay, BBC Wales found.
Partnership helps shape good citizens of the future: Northants County Council delivered a workshop about online safety, the Solve-It solvent abuse charity explored the use of drugs and peer pressure, while Northants Fire and Rescue Service led a session on hazard awareness and what to do in the event of a fire.
Strood warehouse rave 'with over 1,000 people' dispersed: A 39-year-old man ... was held on suspicion of conspiring to commit a public order offence and supplying a psychoactive substance (nitrous oxide), a police spokesman said.
Hundreds of silver cannisters found in Chorleywood: The cannisters were collected in Chorleywood - and now Three Rivers District Council is urging parents to check if their children are carrying canisters of Nitrous Oxide.
Elton John fed Rod Stewart poppers to make him dance during wild nights out: Elton John has revealed he used to entice Rod Stewart to the dance floor with bottles of poppers during their wild nights out.
(BBC Video) 'Nos': What is nitrous oxide or laughing gas?
NETHERLANDS
Arnhem introduces blanket ban on sale laughing gas: Arnhem is the first city in the Netherlands to have completely banned the recreational sale of laughing gas, broadcaster NOS reports.
USA
Evidence of huffing found in homeless man's demise (IL): A homeless man found dead a week ago had apparently been huffing, according to Springfield police reports.
Teen collapsed and died after inhaling nitrous oxide at house near Penn State campus, coroner says (PA): The death of a teen at an off-campus house at Penn State University has been ruled as accidental, according to the coroner.
Doctors warn of the dangers of ingesting nitrous oxide in light of OU student death (OH): The coroner said that student died after ingesting nitrous oxide, also known as “whippet.”
Hundreds gather on anniversary of Girl Scout tragedy in Chippewa Falls (WI): [A 22-year-old] is charged with four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and other charges. The criminal complaint alleges he was huffing from an aerosol canister before he crashed his pickup truck into the group of Girl Scouts.
Wausau man charged with homicide in fatal crash (WI): A man is facing homicide charges in a fatal crash in Wausau that investigators say was caused by huffing.
Man sentenced to 8 years in prison for killing a pedestrian (VT): Police said the 31-year-old had been high after “huffing a can of compressed air” at the time when he swerved his Jeep across three lanes of traffic onto a sidewalk, hitting Harris, who later died from his injuries.
Car hits retaining wall, driver arrested (IN): Officers who investigated allege the driver had been operating the 1987 Cadillac while inhaling toxic vapors.
Woman lights car on fire at Liberty Walmart because it was, 'dirty' (OH): [Her] husband told police that she had allegedly been caught huffing paint thinner and mothballs recently.
3 people arrested after LSD, MDMA and mushrooms were found inside car in Wickliffe (PA): After searching the vehicle, police found more than two ounces of suspected "Molly" or MDMA, 74 doses of suspected LSD, mushrooms and a 25-pound tank of suspected nitrous oxide.
Man arrested in Crossville after allegedly huffing paint at Walmart (TN): Crossville police responded Tuesday to Walmart to a male subject that had been in the store for a few hours opening packages and closing them.
Man cited on inhalants charge: A Roseburg man was cited for unlawful possession of inhalants on Monday night.
CANADA
Sheshatshiu 'needs a miracle,' says physician who worked to help Labrador children: Rosales, a pediatrician who has specialized in treating children harmed by prenatal exposure to alcohol, worked with dozens of young Innu who were sent to the Grace Hospital in St. John's in 2001 for treatment of solvent abuse.
HUFF: Huff is the wrenching, yet darkly comic tale of Indigenous brothers, caught in a torrent of solvent abuse and struggling to cope with the death of their mother.
KENYA
Why there are so many street kids: ... It also emerged that some pharmacies in Meru county sell antidepressant pills to street children. Their argument is that they are better than sniffing glue and their effects last longer and do not cause stigma.
CHINA
Two men sentenced for selling laughing gas: Two men who earned more than 23 million yuan from illegally selling laughing gas online have been sentenced to multiple years in jail, prosecutors in Qingpu District said on Tuesday.
INDIA
Psychiatrists say children in classes III and IV getting addicted to inhalants (Coimbatore):While some are addicted to inhalants—like nail polish removers and whiteners, others are addicted to mobile phone games.
Glue-Sniffing To Get High On Rise Among Teens In Rourkela: Frequent use of adhesives by teenagers to get intoxicating effect has raised major concern for the local administration in Rourkela. Due to cheap rates and easy availability in the market, many young boys especially street children are reportedly opting for it.
BANGLADESH
All for a quick high: Children sitting on a road divider and sniffing glue together after dark should not bea common scene, yet in this day that is the case.
Saving the deviant teenagers: ... Despite being dismissed as a mere public nuisance by ordinary people, it's a scene not encountered in Dhaka before. It comprises children, led by an older youth, who get hooked on glue-sniffing.
MALAYSIA
Helping the Kensiu tribe fight problems of drugs and alcohol: ... On the drug problems here, Dr Omar said sniffing glue was the main problem. “Glue sniffing is on the rise for the simple reason that it is cheap for them to obtain."
PHILIPPINES
Inhalant addiction: It is good that vaping – its potential addictive properties and adverse health consequences – has finally caught government attention and it is bent to banning it. So while at this, let us take this opportunity to remind the government as well that it has unwittingly forgotten another form of addiction happening openly and everywhere, and primarily victimizes children and teens.
TAIWAN
Government urged to speed up regulations on laughing gas after recent death caused by recreational use: The Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs was urged to speed up tightening regulations on the sale of nitrous oxide today, after a recent fatality related to its use as a recreational drug brought the issue to public attention.
AUSTRALIA
Chroming: Demand retailers treat aerosol cans like cigarettes to cut teenage drug abuse on Gold Coast: A GoldCoast City councillor wants retail giants such as Coles and Woolworths to treat aerosol cans like cigarettes ...
Sale of nitrous oxide must be banned or regulated in South Australia, says former Australian Defence Minister, Christopher Pyne.
YPA tackles Mount Isa's chroming concerns head on: Addressing Mount Isa's problem of Volatile Substance Misuse is a complex issue, especially since the loss of the VSM government funding service in 2015.
Rust-Oleum tries competing with Juul by introducing flavored spray paint: FDA now tasked with tackling teen paint huffing epidemic.
Tens of thousands of teenagers descend on the Gold Coast as charity warns revellers to steer clear of deadly drug they can buy for $1 a hit after student died in a balcony plunge: However, concerns have been raised after canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as 'nangs', were being sold in the area in packs of 10 for $10.
Leavers’ arrival sparks gas fears (WA): Dunsborough retailers have been asked not to stock nitrous oxide canisters this week in an attempt to stop school leavers inhaling the gas.
