Pubdate: Sun, 08 May 2005
Source: Southland Times (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2005, Southland Times Company Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.southlandtimes.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1041
Author: Matt Smith

USER RUBBISHES NOS LEGISLATION

An Invercargill man who uses nitrous oxide to get high said he believed the 
Government's decision to restrict its sale was stupid.

The man said he had been using the gas (known as nos) for two years and had 
not suffered any side effects.

However, drug and alcohol workers warned against using nos, saying there 
were definite potential long-term risks for chronic users.

The user said the gas gave him a sense of "complete euphoria" for about 20 
seconds.

"I'm fine afterwards."

He had heard of only a few inexperienced users who had minor freezeburn to 
their lips.

That was the extent of problems he had heard of.

Like any substance, there would be no effects if nos was used in 
moderation, he said.

"It's quite strong but you can make it as mild or strong as you like," he said.

People were able to gauge the dose if they were using the right kind of 
dispenser, he said.

It was stupid the Government wanted to ban nitrous oxide when it was 
compared to alcohol, which he said caused lots of injuries.

A box of 10 ampoules would probably last a night for two people, he said.

The man generally combined nos with herbal party pills about once a week.

He acknowledged a minority may find them addictive but said most users 
wouldn't.

It made sense to restrict nos to users over 18 but said it would probably 
still be available when new legislation was introduced restricting access.

"There would be avenues you could take (to buy it) but most (retailers) 
would stop selling it," the man said.

The legislation restricts the sale to people 18 or over, and only for 
legitimate baking purposes (such as in cream whipping canisters).

Adventure Development Counselling psychologist Clive McArthur said some of 
the young people the youth alcohol and drug service had seen had been using 
nos as part of their wider drug intake.

The use appeared to have increased during the six months the service had 
been running.

"It's always been there in the background."

There were definite potential long-term risks for chronic users, not the 
least of which included the possibility of sudden death, as with any 
inhalant, he said.

"Along with that are all the other risks of a short intense burst of 
intoxication."

These included injuries from a temporary loss of balance.

A Southland Hospital spokeswoman said general observations from clinical 
staff indicated the emergency department had not seen any cases of people 
being admitted because of nitrous oxide.