It’s horrific to think members of the community have become so desperate they turn to these products

It’s worrying to find that baking products most Territorians would buy once or twice a year have had to be removed from the shelves due to concerns of substance abuse.

IT’S worrying to find that baking products most Territorians would buy once or twice a year on a special occasion have had to be removed from the shelves due to concerns of substance abuse.

Can you imagine going to another capital city and finding these products behind the service counters?

No?

That’s because it likely wouldn’t happen.

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It’s horrific to think members of the community have become so desperate they turn to these products, believing the alcohol content will give them the same buzz as traditional alcohol.

It comes after the NT News in March revealed chroming – the inhaling of volatile substances and specifically aerosols – had become so prevalent in Karama they were taken off the shelves.

At the time, the NT News counted at least 15 cans along Karama’s Manunda Park and Manunda Terrace.

If we look hard enough, are we going to find bottles of peppermint, almond and vanilla essence littered in parks and along the streets?

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We all know how serious alcohol abuse in the Territory is, and we are in overdrive trying to combat it, but if people are turning to these products, what does it say about our efforts?

What products will we have to go to the service desk to buy next?

We need to get to the root cause of the problem and fast, because the abuse of these products can cause serious damage and we need to prevent it.

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