Pubdate: Mon, 24 Mar 2003
Source: Charleston Gazette (WV)
Copyright: 2003 Charleston Gazette
Contact:  http://www.wvgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/77
Author: Jinhee Lee

INHALANT ABUSE THOUGHT TO BE HIGH AMONG STATE TEEN-AGERS

WASHINGTON - The federal government says more than half of the 141,000 
people using or dependent on inhalants are teen-agers, but a West Virginia 
official says the under-publicized problem actually is much worse.

The national statistics are shocking, however, they miss many records 
involving younger kids, said Dr. Elizabeth Scharman, director of West 
Virginia Poison Center in Charleston.

"Many children start very young in grade school and junior high," Scharman 
said.

The National Inhalants Prevention Coalition held a conference in Washington 
last week to provide facts on inhalant abuse, the intentional breathing-in 
of gases and vapors for the purpose of getting high.

Unlike marijuana or other sorts of drugs, inhalants are legal, everyday 
products that can be purchased in a grocery store. The user can suffer from 
sudden sniffing death syndrome, such as abnormal heartbeat. Chronic 
inhalant use can damage many body organs, including heart, lungs, kidneys, 
liver and peripheral nerves.

NIPC is a nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, that promotes 
awareness and recognition of the under-publicized problem of inhalant use.

According to a survey done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more 
than half of the abusers are ages 12 through 17.

"Inhalants are often the first substance a child experiments with," NIPC 
Executive Director Harvey Weiss said in his opening remarks during the 
conference.

"Up until the sixth or seventh grade, inhalants are the third most popular 
substance of abuse, after alcohol and tobacco. At about eighth grade, 
inhalants are displaced by marijuana but remain popular throughout the 
school year," he said.

The number of school-age children using inhalants surpasses the numbers 
doing ecstasy, crack and heroin, Weiss said.

In West Virginia, Scharman said, the Charleston center does not receive 
calls every day regarding inhalant abuse, but the problem is more serious 
than most people think.

"A lot of deaths are first-time users," Scharman said. "The deaths are so 
sudden that they happen even before people get to the phone for help."

Easy access encourages many children to use inhalants, she said. "You can 
buy inhalants anywhere, and you get no suspicion."

According to NIPC, more than 1,000 products available are dangerous when 
inhaled. For instance: typewriter correction fluid, air-conditioning 
refrigerant, felt-tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane and even 
cooking spray.

"Kids have a false sense of 'this is not marijuana or alcohol, so it's 
natural,'" Scharman said. "They affect your body more quickly than alcohol.

"Parents should be on the look-out. Parents should keep an eye on unusual 
circumstances around their kids such as vacant paint cans."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart