The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed all commands and formations of the Agency to begin an immediate clampdown on illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas following its abuse by people who use it for recreational purposes.
Buba Marwa in a statement said the decision to clampdown on those involved in illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide, follows analysis of the effects on those who abuse the substance, which include: dizziness; disorientation, headache; light headedness; fainting spells; hallucinations; falling unconscious and/or suffocating from lack of oxygen; and other neurological complications especially psychiatric symptoms.
The Agency said pending when other measures are taken in consultation with other stakeholders especially the Federal Ministry of Health, to curb the menace, it will not hesitate to wield the big stick against anyone, no matter their social status, involved in illegal sale or use of nitrous oxide in the overall interest of public health.
Ordinarily, Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas that is commonly used for sedation and pain relief, more often by dentists and medical professionals to sedate patients undergoing minor medical procedures. Popularly called laughing gas or N20, it has however been abused by several young Nigerians who arbitrarily take the laughing gas to get intoxicated or feel high, and has emerged as a drug in high demand by young party-goers or fun-seekers.
The laughing gas is often transferred from its containers into balloons, from where it’s inhaled for euphoric effects.
A popular Twitter User, The Bearded Dr Sina wrote a Twitter thread to highlight the dangers of the laughing gas, which are most inhaled from balloons.
The laughing gas has now added to the pandemic of drug abuse rocking the country, with many Nigerian youths involved in the abuse of one drug or the other. The Bearded Dr Sina in a previous Twitter thread highlights the several drugs being abused in the country.
