NDLEA
NDLEA orders nationwide crackdown sale of nitrous oxide. The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier General, Buba Marwa (retd), has ordered a nationwide clampdown on the sale and use of nitrous oxide also known as ”laughing gas.”
Nitrous oxide, also called “N20″ is a colourless gas used for sedation and pain relief by dentists and medical professionals to sedate patients undergoing minor medical procedures.
However, Marwa said the order was in response to the gas being used for recreational purposes as a drug by some fun seekers, adding that the demand for the substance had spiked.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the agency spokesperson, Femi Babafemi said the agency would not think twice to punish anyone caught with the substance.
It partly read,” The NDLEA CEO directed all commands and formations of the agency to begin an immediate clampdown on the illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas following its abuse by people who use it for recreational purposes.
“It is quickly becoming a drug in demand in Nigeria by young partygoers or fun-seekers who want to feel intoxicated or high.” The gas is often transferred from its containers into balloons, where it’s inhaled.
“The decision to clampdown on those involved in the illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide follows an analysis of the effects on those who abuse the substance, which include: dizziness; disorientation, headache; lightheadedness; fainting spells; hallucinations; falling unconscious and/or suffocating from lack of oxygen; and other neurological complications, especially psychiatric symptoms.
“The Agency stated that until other measures are taken in consultation with other stakeholders, particularly the Federal Ministry of Health, to address the threat, it will not hesitate to use the big stick against anyone, regardless of social status, involved in the illegal sale or use of nitrous oxide in the overall interest of public health.”
Murwa asked parents, guardians, and other stakeholders to be cautious, alert, and to warn their children about the dangers of experimenting with or misusing the chemical. He warned that the gas posed a hazard to consumers’ mental and physical health.