VSA Headlines - February 2020

UK

Armed police attend incident outside Bodmin school: It has now been confirmed that members of the force attended to deal with a man sniffing gas from a canister.

CCTV clip shows brazen drug deal taking place in the heart of Liverpool's clubland: Detectives found the opportunistic criminals lured revellers in with nitrous oxide balloons, carried out deals down darkened alleyways and sold crushed paracetamol to 'weaker' buyers.

Brighton launch internal investigation after video shows players inhaling from balloons during winter break: Shane Duffy, Pascal Gross, Leandro Trossard and Alireza Jahanbakhsh were all pictured inhaling an unknown gas while on holiday in Spain.

How dealers are selling drugs over Instagram and Snapchat: ... According to drug harm reduction advocacy group Volteface, one in four young people have been advertised drugs on social media. The majority of listings seen were for cannabis, but cocaine, MDMA, Xanax and nitrous oxide were also high up on the list.

‘Laughing gas’ canister art is no joke: Discarded nitrous oxide containers found on street are used to create ‘urban fossils’.

Urgent police warning over reports of 'nitrous oxide being supplied to children by local businesses': Police have issued an urgent warning after reports of "nitrous oxide being supplied to children by local businesses".

Warnings over nitrous oxide gas: One of Spalding’s top police officers has warned of the misuse of inhaling laughing gas amid claims it’s on the increase.

Police issue warning after 'sharp increase' in use of ‘hippy crack’ in this part of Lincolnshire: It's been suggested the law on the illegal trade of the drug 'isn't working'.

Dorchester police warning after drug canisters found: Parents are being warned to check where their children are after youths were suspected of inhaling 'laughing gas'.

Cheltenham mum 'not shocked' after finding huge mound of laughing gas canisters on dog walk as it 'always happens': A mother of three was 'disgusted' and claims this follows a long history of anti social behaviour on her pooch's favourite patch.

Woman finds huge piles of 'hippy crack' canisters at Asda Fosse Park car park (Leics): 'Where on Earth are they getting them from?'

'A disgrace': What you had to say about 'hippy crack' mob at Showcase Cinema car park: Unruly behaviour by group descending on Cross Point retail park in Walsgrave has sparked concern and anger.

Thurrock Council named Team of the Year at Keep Britain Tidy Awards 2020: The Environmental Enforcement team ... has undertaken operations to tackle nitrous oxide misuse in our car parks over the past 10 months.

IRELAND

Woman died after inhaling deodorant, inquest told: A 35-year-old woman living in sheltered accommodation died after inhaling gas from cans of deodorant, an inquest heard.

USA

Not first time mom has been accused of endangering kids by huffing (PA): The mother who crashed into Taco Bell along York's Route 30 corridor at lunchtime Saturday had been inhaling a canister of compressed air while driving with her two young sons in her SUV, police allege.

Driver lodged for OVI, abusing harmful intoxicants (OH): [He] told deputies he had been “huffing” the aerosol can while he was driving.

Duluth woman suing 3M after being struck by driver ‘huffing’ aerosol duster (MN): Walking along East Superior Street with her young daughter, the Duluth woman was struck by a driver who ran a red light and careened onto the sidewalk after “huffing” a chemical compound from an aerosol can.

Highway 111 crash leads to drug arrest (TN): [He] was arrested for theft, possession of controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and inhaling, selling, giving or possessing glue, paint, etc. for unlawful purposes.

Man arrested for inhaling aerosol canned air (TX): Wichita Falls police arrested a man Wednesday for inhaling compressed air in the Atwood's parking lot.

Police find Maserati filled with whip-its (IA): Impaired Iowan, 22, had hundreds of spent canisters in luxury car.

Dusting spray deaths and injuries: Robins Kaplan LLP is investigating and litigating “dusting” cases, which arise when someone inhales—or “huffs”—compressed gas dusting spray for its intoxicating effects while driving and then strikes a pedestrian or other driver, killing or catastrophically injuring that innocent bystander.

Korvata co-founder flips the science on whipped cream: The company’s patent pending propellant not only dramatically reduces the environmental impact of making whipped cream, but it is also safer and nearly impossible to get high from huffing it, he said.

CANADA

Yonge and Sheppard isn’t the only place where nitrous oxide cartridges are being dumped: It looks like we have a lot of nitrous oxide aficionados in Toronto, and it’s not limited to a parking lot at Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave.

INDIA

Homeless, Abused & Addicted: How a Kolkata Woman Saved 110 Street Kids: “Why do you sniff dendrite?” Moitrayee asks a group of 7-11 year-olds at Sheoraphuli railway junction ... One of them answers, “It doesn’t make us feel hungry or cold. It makes us sleepy. When we are sleepy, our stomachs don’t rumble. Dendrite is much cheaper than three meals a day, which we cannot afford with the money we get from begging, Didi.”

Centre readies action plan for districts affected by drug abuse: A special focus is planned for schools and colleges owing to the increasing prevalence of inhalant use among Indian adolescents, much higher than the usage by adults, said the people cited earlier.

JAPAN

Popular Japan singer Makihara arrested over alleged drug possession: Makihara, 50, is suspected of keeping 0.083 gram of stimulant on April 11, 2018, and 64.2 millimeter of the liquid inhalant "Rush," an eponym for isobutyl nitrite, on March 30 of the same year at his condominium in the capital's Minato Ward.

AUSTRALIA

Father calls for more talk about risk-taking after son dies from 'huffing' barbecue gas bottle (SA): A Port Lincoln father has sounded out a warning to parents about the potentially fatal consequences of children inhaling from barbecue gas bottles, after the death of his 16-year-old son.

It's worse than ice': Mother's desperate plea after her 17-year-old son died from inhaling deodorant sold at supermarkets (QLD): A mother has issued a desperate plea after her teenage son died after sniffing aerosol cans in a deadly trend known as chroming.

Calls to ban chroming to protect Brisbane bus drivers (QLD): A rise in chroming-related incidents on Brisbane buses has prompted lord mayor Adrian Schrinner to call for a ban on the practice across Queensland's public transport network to protect drivers from dangerous fumes.

On the high-way! Outrageous moment a motorist is caught using nangs while driving on a busy freeway (WA): Motorists have spotted a driver inhaling a canister of nitrous oxide while behind the wheel on a busy freeway.