Ticketed 5 Times in One Week for Inhalant Abuse

From NBC 11 in Grand Junction, Colorado:

Earlier this week, a 43 year old man was taken to the hospital after being found crouched over on the side of the street with a can of computer duster in his hand. Police note it’s the “fifth time in the past week they've found him like that -- and the fifth time in the past week they've ticketed him for abusing toxic vapors.”

The article also notes another recent related inhalant incident in the same county. On December 10, a 23 year old male was found dead in his apartment. The Coroner’s office found the cause of death was “inhaling a volatile, organic compound” found in computer dusting sprays and it was the second such death they had investigated in 2010.

Pennsylvania Man Caught Behind the Wheel Again

Via The Progress in Pennsylvania:

A 30 year old man has entered a guilty plea to charges of “smelling/inhaling toxic releasing substances, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.”

Back in October the man was found slumped over and unresponsive in a truck that was running with the door open. When police turned off the ignition they found a can of duster in the man’s hand. When he came to the man “admitted he had recently purchased the duster and went behind Kmart to inhale it.” More cans of duster were found in the car and the man was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Three days later, police received reports of a man huffing computer duster in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The vehicle description matched the one in the case above and the registration and when sheriff’s deputies pulled the truck over, it was same driver.

This time he initially denied but then admitted to huffing and noted that he needs help.

Trying to Hide a Car Under a Bridge After Huffing

Via the Lake County News Sun in Illinois:

A 29 year-old man was arrested last week fur DUI/using inhalants after driving down a ditch to hide his car under a bridge. Police found him and he was taken to a medical center for evaluation.

Inhalant Abuse on Cape Cod

Via CBS Boston:

Yarmouth police are concerned about the recent increase in inhalant abuse in their region. They discovered an area of the woods that is continuously “littered with cans of whipped cream and dust cleaning spray.”

As police were investigating, one officer responded to a call of a 22 year old man that was having a seizure in the middle of a busy road. The officer called the man’s parents and as they were putting him in the car, he was trying to hide a can of computer dusting spray.

California Survey Results for Inhalant Use by Lafayette 7th Graders

Via the Lamorinda Patch in California:

The California Healthy Kids Survey results for Lafayette’s seventh graders was just released. The survey notes:

• 5% of the students have used inhalants
• 2% of the students have used inhalants within the past 30 days
• Statewide, 5% of the students have reported using inhalants within the past 30 days

Illinois Man Arrested After Huffing Behind the Wheel

From TribLocal / Chicago Tribune in Illinois:

Earlier this week a 29 year old man lost control of his car while huffing computer dusters behind the wheel. The car entered a local bike path before crossing the street and ending up in a parking lot. The driver failed a field sobriety test and was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs.

Interesting New National Inhalant Data from Monitoring the Future

Yesterday the results of the 2009 Monitoring the Future national report were released.

Figure 9 of the report details "Inhalants: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, and Disapproval in Grades 8, 10, and 12"

Tables 1-3 get into more specific details on comparative 2009 and 2010 inhalant use for 8th, 10th, and 12th graders:

• Lifetime use of inhalant for all three grades has decreased from 2009 (8th grade= -.5%; 10th grade= -.3%; 12th grade= -.4%) -table 1
• Annual use of inhalants has decreased for 8th & 10th but INCREASED for 12th (8th= -.1%, 10th = -.4%; 12th= +.2%)
• 30 day use of inhalants has decreased for 8th & 10th but INCREASED for 12th (8th = -.2%; 10th= -.2%; 12th=+.2%)

Table 6 shows that risk perception for 10th graders has increased from 2009-2010

Table 8 shows no change in 8th graders disapproval of using inhalants "once or twice" but an increase in their disapproval of inhalants regularly.

Table 9 shows a decrease in 10th graders disapproval of using inhalants both "regularly" and "once or twice" a week.

Teen Passes Out After Huffing In a Wal-Mart

Via ABC-15 in Arizona:

In Maricopa, a teen walked into a local Wal-Mart, picked-up a canister of CO2 (commonly used for pellet and paintball guns) and started inhaling from it within the store.

A store employee found the teen passed out in the sporting good section with an empty canister of CO2 beside him. The employee called 911 but before police arrived the teen came to and ran out of the store.

Car Crash in Wyoming Due to Dusters

Via the Gillette News Record in Wyoming:

Last month a 19 year old man was involved in an inhalant related crash. He had been huffing computer dusters behind the wheel when he passed out and crashed into a building.

Surveillance footage showed him running from the accident holding a can of the duster. He then hid the duster and then returned to the car. Police found a can of duster in the car and another in the snow with his bloody fingerprints on it. He admitted to huffing behind the wheel and pled guilty to “driving under the influence of an inhalant, huffing and driving with a suspended license.”

He was sentenced to a month in jail and was ordered to pay $1,370 in fines and $1,821 in restitution. The article notes that it marks the “stiffest jail sentence for huffing in the past three years, according to Circuit Court records.”

Lanca Parfume - Brazil's Party Inhalant Heads to the US

Via SoberLiving.com

Law enforcement fears that Lanca-perfume (pronounced lahn-sah pear-foo-mee) will soon make its appearance in the US. Currently popular in Brazil, it’s “inhaled from “poppers” and contains ethyl chloride, giving the user a brief but intense “rush.” The flasks also contain a perfume which gives the drug its name.

7th Grade Inhalant Use in California

Via the Lamorinda Patch in California:

The article discusses the California Healthy Kids Survey results for 7^th grade students at Orinda middle school. The survey revealed that 9% of the 7^th graders have used inhalants, compared to 11% statewid

Publish Post

e. For past 30 day use, 3% had used inhalants.

Inhalant Death from Toluene

Via the Kimikareena blog:

Last week a coroner inquiry heard that a 42 year old man’s death back in July was due to toluene poisoning caused by glue sniffing. Employees at a coffee shop found a man dead in the store’s bathroom. A fingerprint check revealed the man’s identity and police reports revealed that he had a history of inhalant abuse stretching back to 1990.

The post also notes that “while there have been several cases of addicts drowning or falling to the death from buildings after abusing inhalants, death by toluene toxicity is very rare.” It describes one case in 2001 where a 26 year old Malaysian was found dead in the backseat of his car with a plastic bag over his head. Tests revealed that he “had abused inhalants that contained toluene and died after breathing too much of it in the enclosed car.”

Man Crashes Into Police Car After Huffing

From the News Herald in Michigan:

Last Wednesday, police received a report for a suspicious person in the parking lot of a Rite-Aide. There, they found a 26 year-old man slumped over the wheel of his car.

He was huffing a chemical so they asked him to put it down and get out of the vehicle. The man refused and continued to huff the product. Police then broke the window and the man put the car into reverse, slamming the police car twice. Officers pulled him out of the car and took him to a hospital.

TN Woman Arrested for Inhalant Abuse for the 22nd Time

From WRCB-TV in Tennessee:

On Thanksgiving night, a woman was arrested for inhalant abuse. Police found her with “glue around her face, holding a paint can and several plastic bags.” Her inhalant record goes back to 1999 and this most recent case is the 22nd time she has been arrested for inhalant abuse.

She pled guilty to huffing inhalants and was sentenced to 11 months in jail. A judge suspended the sentence and changed it to probation. She has since fled and her twin brother believes she is in Alabama. Her family is desperately seeking ways to help stop her addiction.

Inhalant Data: San Ramon Unified School District in CA

Via San Ramon Patch in California:

The results of the 2010 California Healthy Kids Survey were recently released. Inhalant data for San Ramon Unified School District follows below:

• 5th graders: 3% had tried inhalants
• 7th graders: 7% had tried inhalants at least once, 3% had used inhalants in the last 30 days

Turkish Teen Dies from Inhalant Abuse

Via Today’s Zaman in Turkey:

This weekend, a 15 year-old girl from Bursa died after reportedly sniffing lighter fluid to get high with friends. She had been out with friends on Friday evening and her mother had difficulty waking her up the following morning.

The article notes that lighter fluid inhalation has replaced traditional chroming agents such as spray paint and glue, which are illegal for sale to people under 18. The article also points out that this is the fourth lighter fluid related teen death this year. The others included two 15 year-olds and a 14-year old. A local physician warned that the "ingredients of lighter liquid, such as butane, mix with the blood very quickly, fatalities are frequent in such cases."

Earlier this month 10 teenagers were injured in the region after an explosion at an abandoned house where they had gathered to huff lighter fluid. Police found dozens of empty lighter canisters at the scene.

One California School Alarmed by Inhalant Data from their 5th Graders

Via LaCanadaOnline.com in California:

The results of the California Healthy Kids Survey were recently released by the La Cañada Unified School District. The results reveal frightening new data on inhalant use by county youth.

The survey showed that 11% of Palm Crest Elementary's fifth graders had used inhalants to get high. School board members were surprised and concerned. One remarked "The use of inhalants is surprising. It's one of the big things we need to look out for."

The article also points out “11% is nearly triple the 4% average of fifth graders state-wide who've used inhalants.”

Additionally, it is “also significantly higher than the 3% and 1% averages at Paradise Canyon and La Cañada Elementary Schools, respectively.”

Inhalant Data from 2010 Arizona Youth Survey

Via AZJournal.com in Arizona:

The results of the 2010 Arizona Youth Survey (conducted by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission) were recently released. Inhalant specific information in the report includes:

• 10.9% of Navajo County students surveyed reported that they had used inhalants to get high at least once.
• The percentage of students reporting use of inhalants has dropped over the last four years.
  
• In 2008, 11.5% of all students reported using inhalants at least once (in 2006, the total was 13.5% )
• The statewide average for 2010 is 12.3% while the nationwide average is 12.5%.
  
• Lifetime use =10.8% of eighth grade students, 10.5% of 10th grade students & 11.6% of high school seniors.
• statewide average of 14.5% for eighth grade, 11.8% for 10th 9.4 % for 12th.
• nationwide average is 14.9% for eighth, 12.8 for 10th and 9.5 for 12th.
• A total of 2.7% of Navajo County students reported having used inhalants within 30 days of the survey. (3% of eighth graders, 2.8% of 10th graders & 2.7% of high school seniors.

Arizona Man Chokes Woman After Huffing Dusters

Via the Daily Courier in AZ:

Earlier this month a 27 year-old man was arrested in an inhalant abuse related incident.

Police responded to a call regarding a man threatening a woman with a knife. They found a woman crying in the driveway and saw a male run back inside the house. The woman told police the man had huffed two cans of computer duster so she asked him to leave. He became violent and verbally threatened her before grabbing her hair and choking her.

Police saw the man “pick up an aerosol can and inhale the vapor through a straw while the officer was negotiating with him to leave the home.” He was treated at the hospital for chemical inhalation and then arrested for unlawful imprisonment, aggravated assault, criminal damage, disorderly conduct, and assault, all per domestic violence.

Mom Who Lost Her Son to Inhalants Now Reaching Out to Others

Via KNDU.com in Washington:

After the loss of her son Shade Shirley-Speedis to computer dusters in June, Annette Shirley is reaching out to the community to warn them about the dangers of inhalant abuse.

She remarked, "It's the new thing, they're starting at elementary [school]. If there's parents still out there that don't know what I didn't know, maybe they could save their son or daughters right now."

On Monday, November 29th she is helping to host a session on dangers of "huffing" and how to recognize signs that a child may be inhaling this type of substance.” The meeting will be held at the Yakama Tribal School from 6-8 pm.

Arizona Woman Arrested for Abusing Carburetor Cleaner

Via AZ Central.com in Arizona:

A 32-year old woman was arrested for huffing carburetor cleaner. Police were called and they found the woman on the steps of the courtyard of her apartment complex “with a can of carburetor cleaner and a scarf that she appeared to be holding up to her mouth and inhaling.”

The police report notes she told them she was trying to get high and she seemed "mellow and giggly." She was arrested on charges of inhaling a hazardous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia

Indiana Man Found Dead in His Hotel Room After Inhalant Abuse

Via DreaminDemon.com

A Pennsylvania hotel was partially evacuated after hotel staff found the lifeless body of a 48 year-old Indiana man in his room. His body was found surrounded by numerous sex toys, various inhalants and other chemicals, and a gas mask. The article notes “Police believe the substances, mostly cleaning solutions, were being inhaled by the man to create a euphoric sensation.”

47 Year Old Woman Crashes Car After Huffing Behind the Wheel

Via LoHud.com in New York:

Last week a 47-year old woman lost control of her car in an inhalant related incident. Her car “veered off the road onto private property and struck a street sign and a utility pole.” It then crossed the road and hit a tree before crashing into a building.”

The driver was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries sustained in the crash and charged with “driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor, and improper lane usage, an infraction.”

Inhalant Data for Moraga Elementary in California

Via the Lamorinda Patch in California:

The article references how 5th and 7th grade students in Moraga answered the 2010 California Healthy Kids Survey. “Inhalant and marijuana use is higher among seventh-graders than fifth-graders in the district, eight percent and five percent, respectively”

In looking at the results in more detail:

Moraga Elementary 5th Graders:
“Have you Ever Used Inhalants To Get High”

• Females 1%
• Males 2%

Moraga Elementary/Secondary: 7th Graders

Overall Inhalant Use in the Past 30 Days : 3% of students

“Have you Ever Used Inhalants To Get High”

• 0 times: 92%
• 1 time: 4%
• 2-3 times: 2%
• 4 times: 2%

Lifetime Inhalant Use:

• Females: 4%
• Males: 10%

Past 30 Days:

• Females: 4%
• Males: 2%

Comparative lifetime inhalant use:

• This District: 8%
• California: 11%

Comparative 30 day inhalant use:

• This District: 3%
• California: 5%

Inhalant Abuse as a Deterrent to Hunger

Via NDTV.com in India:

International Children’s Rights Day was celebrated this past November 20th. In honor of the awareness day, NDTV published an article on street kids and substance abuse that features inhalant abuse.

The piece opens with the case of a 12 year-old runaway who regularly sniffs glue to “keep hunger at bay.” The article then mentions that “two in every 10 street children in Bangalore, are victims of substance abuse” and that the younger ones start with tobacco and then move to inhalants before transitioning to alcohol.

Huffing and Burglary on the Increase in One CA Community

Via The Daily Triplicate in CA:

Local law enforcement is concerned about a recent increase in huffing in their community. In addition, they are noticing an increase in a “rash of thefts, including a major burglary, of those products.”

In one case, 20 boxes of whipping cream chargers, worth about $200, were stolen from an establishment. The owner called police to report a break-in. A 2.5 lb barbell had been thrown through a glass door but nothing seemed to be missing. He soon noticed the chargers missing and related it to the fact that many teens had been asking about them recently. Over a concern they were being used for inhalant purposes he had put them behind the counter.

The article also highlights the fact that police have noticed more teens huffing- “probably about less than ten in the last three months.”

Sixteen Year Old CA Boy Killed in Inhalant Related Crash

Via the OC Register in California:

Last Saturday night a 16 year old man was killed in a car crash and the 20 year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an inhalant.

The car was speeding when the driver lost control. The car crossed the center median and hit a tree. The front seat passenger was killed and the other two passengers were taken to the hospital with non – life threatening injuries. The driver remains in critcal condition. The police report notes that “"A preliminary investigation revealed that just prior to the accident the driver was huffing automotive-grade nitrous oxide"

Another Suicide Due to Inhalant Abuse

Via WisconsinWatch.Org

Sadly, yet another case of a suicide related to inhalant abuse.

The article describes how fifteen years ago, a 14 year-old boy tragically took his own life while high on glue. He had been huffing glue with his younger brother when they got into an argument over mowing the lawn. His older brother’s wife smelled the glue and called police out of concern for his safety.

The boy then hid in the closet of a locked bedroom and when the officers entered the trailer he shot himself with a hunting rifle.

Inhalant Abuse Increases in Pennsylvania

Via Lancaster Online in Pennsylvania:

Results of the PA Youth Survey show that drug use is down in nearly every category for Lampeter-Strasburg students in grades eight, 10 and 12. However, “the sole exception was inhalant use.”

• The average of use of inhalants in by students in all three grades jumped from 9.8% in 2007 to 10.3 percent in 2009.

Charged with Huffing Carburetor Cleaner in Texas

From the Star-Telegram in Texas:

Last week police pulled a van over for a traffic stop. It ended in drug paraphernalia citations for five men after “the van's driver admitted to police that they had been inhaling carburetor cleaner fumes.” Carburetor cleaner contains toxic chemicals such as toluene, butane and methylene chloride.

The police report notes that as officers approached the van they smelled carburetor cleaner and “everyone except a juvenile girl in the van appeared disoriented.” The driver admitted that everyone in the car had been huffing.

The driver along with four male passengers (ages 18-20) were charged with drug paraphernalia-possession to inhale. The underage female was charged with violating curfew and was released to her mother.

Inhalant Abuse Data from Fairfax, Virginia

Via Fairfax City Patch in Virginia:

Fairfax County's 2009 Youth Survey results revealed that while drug use tends to be on the decline in the county, "younger students tend to use inhalants rather than other drugs."

The article also points out that:

• Inhalant use for students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades is slightly above the national average in the past 30 days, with 3.3% reporting recent use
  
• Inhalant use is the second most common drug behavior for eighth-graders in the county
  
• Among all students surveyed, 10.3% reported ever using inhalants
  
• Unlike other substances, abuse of inhalants decreases with age
  
• 5.4% of eighth-graders used inhalants in the previous 30 days, only 1.8 percent of 12th-graders reported using them.
  
• Inhalant use seems to be on the rise among eighth-grade students.
  
• While 7.8 percent of 12th-graders and 9.7 percent of 11th-graders report ever trying inhalants, 13.4 percent of eighth-graders have.
  
• The majority of respondents across demographics, however, reported using inhalants only once or twice.
  

Inhalant Use Data from Tolland Connecticut Schools

Via TollandPatch.com in Connecticut:

East of the River Action for Substance Abuse Elimination (ERASE, Inc.) recently released the findings of its Tolland 2010 Student Substance Use and Related Behavior Survey Report.

The survey covers grades 6-12 and includes a few interesting points about inhalant abuse:

Funeral Home Burglarized for Inhalant

Via the Leesville Daily Leader in Louisiana:

A funeral home in Leesville was burglarized and police suspect that the thieves will try and use the chemicals stolen to get high. The article notes “The chemicals are used for mortuary purposes only and have no benefit outside the mortuary business.”

Tennessee Car Crash Due to Inhalant Use

Via The Kingsport Times-News in Tennessee:

This past Tuesday evening a 20 year-old man was involved in an inhalant related accident.

The police report notes that the man was allegedly huffing computer duster when his truck “left the Interstate, hit a guardrail and embankment and came to a stop on an adjacent road.” A half empty can of the computer duster was found in the car, on the passenger side of the truck.

At the hospital the driver also admitted he had been huffing before the crash. He was hospitalized with non life threatening injuries. “Due to his hospitalization he was released on citations for driving under the influence, unlawful inhaling and failure to maintain proper control.”

NY Man Crashes Car After Huffing

Via the Poughkeepsie Journal in New York:

Last Friday a 28 year-old man crashed his car in an inhalant related accident. The car crashed into a fence and witnesses saw the man running from the car huffing computer duster as he fled into the woods.

He was arrested as he emerged from the woods and charged with “felony driving while ability impaired by drugs as a result of a prior DWI conviction and leaving the scene of an auto accident, a traffic infraction.”