Huffing =Community Epidemic

From the Gillette News Record in Wyoming:

A 16-year old admitted he inhaled computer dusters and then attempted to drive. “After a couple of hits, he was high, his head swimming in inhalants. But as he dropped off his friend, he began to feel dizzy. He steered his truck onto the shoulder until the spinning subsided.” He started driving again and soon blacked out.

His “pickup raced through an intersection before plowing into the side of a house. Even though he was wearing a seat belt, his head smashed through the windshield.”

The article notes that the boy’s crash “illustrates a growing trend among local teenagers. Huffing arrests have soared in the past year as teens look for a cheaper, more easily accessible high.” It continues, “Twelve people have been arrested for huffing this year. In 2007, there were none, according to statistics from local law enforcement agencies.”

Frighteningly, “Many of the arrests involved driving. In the past six months, there have been seven huffing-related crashes in Campbell County.”

The director of a drug rehabilitation clinic reports that the office “has handled more huffing cases this year than at any other time in the past decade.” To combat this, the Sherriff’s Office is out in the community addressing the issue at an increased rate.

The teenage driver stated that he first tried huffing (gasoline) in the 7th grade because it was something that was easy to get. At his sentencing he was heavily fined and received 45 days in jail, 43 of which were suspended.