Use of nitrous oxide at raves no laughing matter

Some stores pulling canisters off their shelves

Publication title: Edmonton Journal

Pages: B7       Section: City

Publication date: Jun 22, 2000

ProQuest document ID: 252735481

Copyright: Copyright Southam Publications Inc. Jun 22, 2000

Author: McMahon, Tamsin

Abstract:

It's not a new phenomenon. [Rick Abbott] said it's been around as long as raves and it's common to see piles of empty canisters lying around during the all-night warehouse parties.

People steal canisters from stores or buy them from restaurant suppliers, who sell them in packages of 10 for around $6. They take it in through a balloon, breathing in and out to recycle the gas, Abbott said. The balloons usually sell for $5 at raves and are nickednamed "whip-it" by those who use them.

Full text:

Police are seeing an increase in the number of people who take laughing gas at raves and it's prompting some Edmonton stores to pull the gas off their shelves.

Edmonton police Const. Rick Abbott said the gas is widely used among 14-30-year-old ravers to get high.

"It gives you sense of euphoria," he said. "It takes your mind off anything."

Save-On-Foods at Mayfield Common pulled canisters of nitrous oxide from its shelves two months ago after it found the gas has one of the highest shoplifting rates among teenagers.

"It's not a high-volume item but we were going through cases of the stuff," a store employee said.

The store keeps the cartridges in a locked case in the tobacco section and won't sell to anyone younger than 18.

The gas is commonly used as a whipping agent in whipped cream and for seltzer bottles. More commonly called laughing gas, it's also used by dentists.

People steal canisters from stores or buy them from restaurant suppliers, who sell them in packages of 10 for around $6. They take it in through a balloon, breathing in and out to recycle the gas, Abbott said. The balloons usually sell for $5 at raves and are nickednamed "whip-it" by those who use them.

The gas has the potential to be fatal, said medical officer of health Gerry Predy, though there have been no recorded deaths from it in Edmonton.

"It renders you unconscious," Predy said. "You could stop breathing, you could vomit and you could choke on your own vomit."

Taking the gas too fast can puncture a hole in the lungs or deprive the brain of oxygen, causing you pass out. Abbott said one of the biggest problems at raves is kids who pass out and hit their heads on cement.

It's not a new phenomenon. Abbott said it's been around as long as raves and it's common to see piles of empty canisters lying around during the all-night warehouse parties.