Trends Inhalants Most Popular Drugs for Pre-Teens

[0utrider]

Inhalants Most Popular Drugs for Pre-Teens

For kids on the brink of becoming teenagers, a high from inhalants seems to be the drug of choice.

Inhalants can include nail polish, paint solvents, hair sprays, aerosol air fresheners, shoe polish, glue, gasoline, keyboard cleaners and lighter fluid, among others.

The new study findings from the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition were presented at a news conference Thursday.

Adolescent girls are taken to the hospital from inhalant abuse more than boys.

The report finds in the past year among 12-year-olds, 3.4 percent used an inhalant, 2.7 percent tried a prescription medication and 1.1 percent tried marijuana.

At 13, the number of experiments jumps to 4.8 percent, but by 14 other drugs such as marijuana and painkillers are preferred.

Among hospital admissions, the reports find 41 percent involved teenage girls. That number drops to 30 percent of hospital admissions involving girls for other drugs.

It’s estimated that 1.1 million 12 to 17 year olds used inhalants to get high last year with another 600,000 who start to use annually.

The high includes dizziness, nausea and lack of coordination. Internally, chemical inhalants can cause permanent lung damage, neurological changes or sudden death from cardiac arrest and lack of oxygen.

45 percent of teens using inhalants suffer from psychiatric disorders, says the report. Other drugs led to 29 percent of psychotic effects.

The statistics say that among 12-17 year olds, almost 21 percent are using illegal drugs and among that group, nearly half used inhalants. Painkillers are the second most popular drug of choice for young teens followed by marijuana 28.4 percent and other drugs.

Within the 14 to 15 year old crowd, 25.1 percent used inhalants.

The numbers of users drop as kids age.

Among 16 and 17 year olds 12.4 percent used inhalants, while more than 80 percent used marijuana. The 17 year olds favor something called whippets, nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas.

The report suggests that parents must be able to communicate clearly to their young teens that inhalants are drugs with possibly poisonous effects and use of them is abuse.

Next week is the 15th annual National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week (NIPAW), March 18 - 24, 2007. This annual community mobilization and awareness effort gathers the forces of 2,000 community organizations to fight inhalant use through education and outreach.

http://www.injuryboard.com/national-...googleid=30088

[sonoson]

it's sad. I can honestly say that a few years ago i had a little airduster phase, until i woke up and realized how much safer illegal drugs are.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Ironic isn't it
	"realized how much safer illegal drugs are" - insightful comment

[FrankenChrist]

If I ever caught some kids doing any of that stuff, I'd beat the shit out of them, then kindly suggest some good drugs instead.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

This is yet another way in which I think all this DARE propaganda causes more harm than good.They get told pot is soooo bad for them from day one they see a bottle of furniture duster and think"This isn't drugs at all and my friend Billy Dumbass told me it will get me high."Stupid DARE kills kids!

[Purest]

The 17 year olds favor something called whippets, nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas

I really don't like how this sentance is worded, it makes the drug seem a lot less safe and in a sense, dirtier.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Yes anyone that would compare nitrous oxide to inhaling furniture duster and the like is a pretty uneducated,pretty clueless person.Thats propaganda for ya though!They lie,twist facts,and do this under the guise of doing good but in the end often do more harm.

[silentghost]

MJ a gate way drug? BS. Its all the dust-off and ritalin these kids gets

[SpaceCadetGlow]

Originally Posted by silentghost

MJ a gate way drug? BS. Its all the dust-off and ritalin these kids gets

well said. SWIM was in high school when he used his first drug. it wasn't marijuana, and it wasn't alcohol or tobacco. it was 30 mg of adderall that a friend, who had a prescription, gave SWIM. his friend told him that it made studying and taking tests a lot easier. so, the first psychoactive chemical SWIM's completely drug-naiive body ever experienced was amphetamine, a schedule II stimulant. needless to say, the adderall sparked something inside SWIM, and he fell in love with it.

it's funny how a society can place such a harsh label on cannabis, calling it a "gateway drug", while they prescribe amphetamine and similar powerful stimulants to kids like it's candy.

this reminds SWIM of the netherlands' drug policy, only backwards. the dutch permit the use of softer drugs, like marijuana, in an effort to keep the people from using harder drugs. SWIM's country seems to allow the use of pharmaceutical hard drugs, while taking every measure to minimize the use of softer drugs, such as marijuana.

Reputation Comments on this post:

So very true. Ritalin is presscribed to fricken elemntary school kids, and they obviously know the effects.

[cra$h]

eh, swim isn't going to bullshit himself, mj can lead to bigger better things, and it has.... but this fucking inhalent phase our country's going through is a fucking joke. Swim has never had an urge to get high off an aerosol can, and never even concidered it. these kids need to jack some alc from their parents or something, which is hell of a lot safer than dust remover. what a terrible world we're shaping, and it's not because of the kids, but what's pumped into their brain. everyone's so politically correct, we find stupid ways to get around things, instead of just dealing with the fact that if someone wants to get fucked up, let them reap the concequences, and instead of showing us appitizing pictures, then burning them in front of us, let there be education of the real thing. I don't know, it's hard to explain

[silentghost]

Agreed.

[Pondlife]

This news thread was about inhalant use, but seems to have degenerated into discussions about prescription medications v cannabis.

I think this thread maybe better for Rx meds V illegal drugs comments: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52154

[radiometer]

Duh, what other drugs are 12 year olds going to get? Who didn't try sniffing rubber cement when they were in art class in 7th grade? The fact that the media loves to play up the abuse of "duster" periodically doesn't help much.

[zera]

Someone get these 12 year olds some pot immediately!

[cra$h]

Originally Posted by radiometer

Duh, what other drugs are 12 year olds going to get? Who didn't try sniffing rubber cement when they were in art class in 7th grade? The fact that the media loves to play up the abuse of "duster" periodically doesn't help much.

that is true. if you're still a kid and someone says hey, this could fuck you up if you smell it, of course you're going to try. the media loves to take something that's controversial like drug use and anyone that has tried a drug instantly becomes an "addict"

[Solipsist]

Here in Belgium four 15 years old girls were sniffing inhalants in public toilets, then one girl light up a cigarette, resulting in an explosion which hurted all the four girls (one of them even need a skin transplant).

So now media/politicians want to ban sale of any inhalant to minors, to avoid this "new" form of drug addiction. I wonder how they are gonna work this out.

Every time some kid do something stupid with a substance, people want to ban this substance. What's next, banning whipped cream and tipex?

[0utrider]

gbl maybe?