Huffing Vs. Puffing



CNN reports on legal drugs you can buy at True Value.

Inhalant use is on the rise among teenagers, with more than 2 million of them abusing these products at some point in their lives, said a report released Thursday.

Also known as "huffing" or "sniffing," the abuse involves snorting or inhaling chemical vapors in common household products such as spray paint, glue or cleaning products to get high.

About 2.6 million 12- to 17-year-olds have used inhalants in the past, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated, based on a 2002 questionnaire answered by more than 23,000 youths. Two years earlier, the numbers were half a million less.

"The use of inhalants is a big concern since these products are legal and can result in irreparable brain damage or death," said Charles Curie of the survey's sponsor, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, at a news briefing in Washington. The sponsor is a Department of Health and Human Services agency.

"It's a silent epidemic in many ways, overshadowed and ignored perhaps because it is not considered a 'illegal' drug."




"[Inhalants are] a particular threat to the youngest of young people," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Many times we have people harmed because they're thought to be too young to have a serious problem or be at serious risk."

Teens who abuse inhalants are also three times more likely to use other drugs, the report said.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, signs of possible inhalant abuse include red or runny eyes or nose; spots or sores around the mouth; the hiding of rags, clothes or empty product containers; and unusual breath odor or smell on clothing. Damage to internal organs, hearing loss, irregular heartbeat and even death are side effects, the commission says.

Are we turning into a third-world nation? In an era in which the children of the United Kingdom are carrying mobile phones en masse, that America's youth instead have their faces buried in paper bags, paints a very grim picture. Can't we do better? Shouldn't the purveyors of drugs such as pot, crack, heroin and amphetamines be embarrassed?

Posted: Wed - April 28, 2004 at 01:30 PM      

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