According to a study by ANSES, the North occupies the sad first place in the ranking of the departments most affected by the consumption of nitrous oxide. The average age of consumers is 21 years.
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These cartridges, you see them every day on the curbs. They are small, gray, metallic and litter the public space by the dozen. Usually used in siphons to create their own whipped cream, their use has been diverted by young people for recreational purposes to inhale the laughing gas inside, using a balloon. In an ANSES report -The National Health Security Agency- published a few days ago, we learn a little more about the public who use this drug and the consequences of inhaling this gas, too often ignored by more and more users youth.
The North, the most affected department
This drug, we’ve been talking to you about this over and over for three years now and this report only confirms the explosion of the consumption of nitrous oxide in Hauts-de-France and more particularly in the North, which obtains the sad palm of the department listing the most cases of consumers in France. Between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019, 15 cases were reported to the North Poison Control Center, far ahead of Hérault, the second most affected department with only 6 cases.
#Proto #GazHilarant – Called “laughing gas” because of its euphoric effect, nitrous oxide inhaled via balloons
is not without risk ❗ This misuse can cause dizziness, nausea …
Read our news on the subject ???? https://t.co/Px0fxYxPs2 pic.twitter.com/MIWHx7B7yx– Anses (@Anses_fr) July 13, 2020
The average age of consumers, in the North as everywhere in France, is barely 21 years. In addition, the report points to the great disparity in the consumption of nitrous oxide, varying from one cartridge in the evening to several hundred per day. Among consumers, 30% had associated taking this drug with other substances such as alcohol or other narcotic drugs.
Taking nitrous oxide is not benign and most commonly causes neurological and neuromuscular damage such as paraesthesia, tremors of the extremities or muscle pain. Among the cases identified by poison control centers, several discomforts have been observed as well as cardiovascular problems for a minority of them.
Mobilization of elected officials in the North
These metal capsules, initially intended for whipped cream siphons, can be purchased at retail without any regulation. So several elected officials from the North have been mobilizing for more than a year already to regulate the sale and stem the phenomenon that affects increasingly young audiences.Ugo Bernalicis, MP for France Insoumise, had also tabled a bill before the National Assembly in January 2019 to supervise the sale of these capsules to minors. Several senators had followed suit a few months later by proposing to verbalize a year of imprisonment and a 3750 euro fine for people inciting the sale of this type of product. Finally, mayors of several municipalities including Wattrelos and La Madeleine have adopted municipal decrees to try to stem the phenomenon, without great results since.
