Tucson Restricts Access to Whippets

From Arizona Daily Star in Arizona

Last week the Tucson City Council made great strides in reducing the number of local teens and tweens who have access to buying whippets- tiny canisters of nitrous oxide gas commonly used for the purpose of getting high. The city unanimously passed a city-wide ordinance that requires all businesses to “keep nitrous oxide cartridges behind store counters and check for proper identification to ensure the buyer is at least 18 years old.”

Tucson police officers are in full support of the new legislation, viewing it as a preventative measure necessary to keep whippets out of the hands of minors. City officials were first informed of the issue by a local resident who started noticing an abundance of “shiny metal cartridges” along neighborhood streets, and began collecting them in large quantities to present to city council members. While the ordinance has been approved, it is now up to the city of Tucson and local law enforcement officers to reinforce and sustain the ordinance’s mandates and restrictions.

For more information regarding whippets and the harmful effects of nitrous oxide click here to view ACE's whippet FAQ.