Sale of dangerous nitrous oxide to be restricted under State Government proposal
The sale of nitrous oxide canisters, which are increasingly being used as a recreational drug, will be restricted under a State Government crackdown.
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The sale of nitrous oxide canisters would be banned between 10pm and 5am under a State Government move to restrict the recreational use of the dangerous gas.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman has begun the process of changing regulations controlling the sale and supply of the canisters, which are available at most convenience stores in the CBD.
Ms Chapman said the Government would also look to lift the minimum age of purchase to 18, require the canisters be kept in areas away from the public and for proof of age to be shown before sale.
The canisters, or nangs, are used in commercial cookery and as pain relief in a medical setting but are also abused by people for their brief high or feeling of floating.
The move comes as Opposition assistant health spokesman Blair Boyer moves to introduce his own Bill to State Parliament which would require stores to keep a register of their canister sales.
Ms Chapman said there was clear evidence the canisters were being misused as a result of their widespread availability.
“There is a legitimate use for this product for caterers and other trades, but it’s far too easily available and far too easy to abuse,” she said.
“The consequences for abusing these canisters can be severe, which is why we are moving to restrict their sale.
“The fact is, there are both short-term and long-term harms associated with the misuse of nitrous oxide.
“Restricting the sale of these products through common sense measures such as these will help minimise the risk of abuse in the short and long term.”
For the regulation changes to be introduced they must first be considered by the Controlled Substances Advisory Council.
“The Government has sought urgent advice on this from the council, and will put the draft changes to the council when they are finalised and will seek to act once we have their response,” Ms Chapman said.
Mr Boyer said he was pleased the Government had acted but called on Ms Chapman to be upfront about what penalties people who continued to sell nitrous oxide canisters to minors would face.
“Until I am confident that those penalties are strong enough I will push on with my own Bill,” he said.
Liberal MP Paula Leuthen, who has also pushed for a crackdown on the sale of nangs, said there was widespread community support to restrict their sale.
“Community members are worried about young people easily accessing mind altering drugs and also sick of seeing the discarded canisters and balloons littered about our community,” she said.
Under the current Controlled Substances Act it is illegal to sell the canisters to anyone under 16 or if there is a belief that the gas will be inhaled.
Currently the street gutters, drains and alleys of the CBD are littered with the small canisters, prompting frontline youth support group Encounter Youth to warn that there is an increasing use of the dangerous gas.
The short term effects of the gas are dizziness which can lead to a loss of consciousness. But continued use has been linked to long term brain and nerve damage.