seeking options for a crackdown on supply<\/a>, after learning of canisters being sold by vape shops and others outside the catering industry. <\/p>\nOne marketing website warning says the canisters \u201cmay only be purchased by genuine users in the catering industry for the purpose of whipping cream\u201d, and then details the risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe use of nitrous oxide is seriously dangerous, the risks include narcosis, asphyxiation, and potentially death,\u201d it says. <\/p>\n
\u201cNot under any circumstances should you inhale the gas released from these cream chargers.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Enticingly-branded]()
Enticingly-branded whipped cream-charger canisters, said to be being misused for nitrous oxide abuse, are prohibited from sale to those aged under 18 and with warnings of the consequences, including potential death. Photo \/ Doug Laing<\/p>\n
Gas bottle collection and disposal agent Chris O\u2019Connor, of Gasworx, says he\u2019s now gathering 60 to 70 used canisters a month, from refuse transfer stations and those found on the streets, parks or in vehicles in Napier and Hastings.<\/p>\n
While covering this story, Hawke\u2019s Bay Today\u2018s reporter spotted three examples around town.<\/p>\n
On Monday, we delivered two items to Gasworx \u2013 a \u201cLuxWhip Infusions N2O Cannister\u201d found in a gutter near a home in a suburban street and a larger helium gas bottle found in the carpark en route.<\/p>\n
The police had just been to drop off four more canisters at Gasworx when Hawke\u2019s Bay Today arrived.<\/p>\n
A \u201cMiami Magic\u201d\u2013branded canister was then found in a suburban roadside gutter by a Hawke\u2019s Bay Today reporter\u2019s friend.<\/p>\n
![\"A]()
A nang in a suburban gutter – the LuxWhip Infusions N2O Cannister found by a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter on the way to cover a story about the abusive recreational use of canisters meant for the commercial catering industry.<\/p>\n
Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga manu t\u0101iko Stewart Whyte, who helped call and facilitate the meeting, said that a fortnight earlier he\u2019d never heard of \u201cnangs\u201d.<\/p>\n
But the next time taiwhenua staff went for their daily exercise, they found another canister in a nearby gutter. <\/p>\n
Then O\u2019Connor\u2019s revelations to a taiwhenua staff member calling in to get a dive tank filled led to the hui, at which he spoke.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor said the prevalence had increased markedly over the last three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s epidemic now,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whyte said the problem seemed to have been \u201cflying under the radar\u201d in Hawke\u2019s Bay, but there was a \u201cbig\u201d response to the hui \u2013 about 40 people, from the police, Health NZ, councils and youth forums.<\/p>\n
Many were \u201cblown away\u201d by what they heard, including stories of comatose teenagers, and \u201cout-of-it young\u201d drivers at the wheels of stopped vehicles, Whyte said.<\/p>\n
It was decided that an immediate awareness campaign was necessary, along with other steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rangatahi from our youth councils were very helpful,\u201d he says. \u201cA lot of parents will not be aware what their children are up to.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The]()
The warning on a website promoting one of the cream-charger canisters, which are banned from sale to those aged under 18 but are being abusively used for huffing the gas.<\/p>\n
Those at the meeting were worried the canisters were being sold illegally, and Whyte said he believed the number of canisters appearing in the community outstripped any legitimate demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says the immediate focus should be on awareness and \u201cminimising\u201d the availability, but if need be, enforcement should be stepped up and a law change considered.<\/p>\n
A \u201cchat room\u201d is already operating among concerned parties, approaches have been made to other groups, and another meeting is being planned for this month.<\/p>\n
In a report last November reflecting on the Waikato tragedy, Coroner Matthew Bates said it was an important reminder about the dangers of driving while impaired.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tragic consequences of impaired driving have the potential to touch any of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sincere hope is that continued publicity, education, and enforcement intended to free our roads of impaired drivers gains greater traction.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Drug Foundation website says medical nitrous oxide is sold in large cylinders to registered dentists and doctors, and it can only be used under their supervision.<\/p>\n
But the nitrous oxide appearing in Hawke\u2019s Bay, which had previously been sold in 8g canisters costing about $15 for a box of 10 in catering supplies stores, is now appearing in canisters costing over $80 online, and, according to street sources, at outlets other than catering supplies businesses.<\/p>\n
Doug Laing has been a journalist for more than 50 years, including more than 40 in Hawke\u2019s Bay with the Central Hawke\u2019s Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph, and Hawke\u2019s Bay Today, covering most aspects of news. including many tragedies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe community is concerned about this matter and I share their concerns,\u201d he said. \u201cI have spoken with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271136,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[125659,1561,1558,20273,153433,153432,537,3468,23270,55264,11784,1976,42,14236,85326,78,302,2374,153431,43,48357,425,48358,36200,1436,203,27300,40,38,41,39,1142,102],"class_list":["post-271135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-apparent","tag-bay","tag-been","tag-branded","tag-canisters","tag-creamcharger","tag-crisis","tag-deal","tag-epidemic","tag-everywhere","tag-fatal","tag-hawkes","tag-headlines","tag-held","tag-huffing","tag-in","tag-its","tag-meeting","tag-nangs","tag-news","tag-nitrous","tag-now","tag-oxide","tag-potentially","tag-rise","tag-sharp","tag-theyre","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-trend","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}