South Dakota Woman Crashes Car After Huffing Behind the Wheel

Via KOTA, Radio 1380 in South Dakota:

Earlier this week, a 20 year old woman crashed her car after allegedly abusing computer duster behind the wheel.  She was driving with a 20 year old male passenger when she crashed into three vehicles in traffic. After fleeing the scene she crashed into another vehicle and lost control of the car.

When medical personnel responded, they saw the passenger inhaling from the can of computer duster. The driver was arrested for DUI, ingesting, hit and run, and no proof of insurance. The passenger, was arrested for ingesting.

Inhalant Abuse: A Growing Concern in Qatar

Via Just Here: Community Without Borders:

 Inhalant Abuse is a growing problem in Qatar.  The article mentions the widespread abuse of butane and a firsthand perspective of its effect:  “There are a lot of visuals.  At one point, the light in my car started sucking up objects. I looked back to see where they were going, and I saw a head floating on a cloud.”

The article also mentions the effects of ethyl chloride, a topical anaesthetic skin refrigerant.  "You feel a buzzing sound for about 15 seconds, then euphoria, then calm" and notes that carburetor fluid, has similar effects.

A psychiatrist explains inhalant abuse has " a very deleterious effect on the sinuses. It affects the neurons; they dilute or dissolve the fats of [cells in] the sinus. We’ve seen many cases where they develop prolonged psychosis."  

South Carolina Man Charged with Huffing Paint Behind Pizzeria

Via the Herald Online in South Carolina:

A 41 year old man was arrested earlier this week after police caught him huffing from a paint can. Police had noticed a fire in the woods behind a local pizza restaurant and upon investigating found the man "with a plastic Walmart bag to his face and a paint can near his knees" and fresh black paint was visible around his nose. He was charged with open burning and inhaling aromatic hydrocarbons.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/04/24/5900123/police-rock-hill-lit-fire-behind.html?sp=/100/104/#storylink=cpy

New York Woman Arrested for Shoplifting and Huffing

Via Standard Examiner

A 30-year-old woman was arrested earlier this week in Syracuse, NY after she was found in the bushes huffing from a can of air duster. She admitted to stealing more than 19 cans of duster from a nearby Walmart and was subsequently booked on charges of shoplifting, criminal trespass and possession of nitrous oxide with intent to use. As a result, she may face prison time. This is not her first arrest for shoplifting or drug use.

Lousiana Man Arrested After Huffing in Cemetery

 Via WAFB.com

In Scott, Louisiana, a 26-year-old man is being held on a $1,000 bond after being arrested and charged with disturbing the peace by public intoxication and abuse of toxic vapors. 

The man was allegedly found sleeping in a cemetery.  According to police, they were called to the cemetery to find the man sleeping in a mausoleum.  The Police Chief stated, "Officers located the subject...asleep with a bottle of canned air in hand."  According to police the man had previously been arrested after passing out while huffing dusters. It was also noted that the man had an active warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear on possession of schedule I narcotic. 

Indiana Man Charged With Huffing for the 9th Time

Via TriState Homepage

An Evansville, Indiana man was arrested recently for huffing, marking his ninth charge with this same crime. Though he tried to run, officers pursued him and he was quickly caught. The man was taken into custody and brought to the Vanderburgh County Jail.

North Dakota Man Arrested for Huffing in Walmart Parking Lot

Via WDAZ

A 32-year-old man was arrested in Fargo, ND, where he was found huffing from a can of computer duster, while sitting in his car in a Walmart parking lot. A Walmart employee noticed the man in the parking lot and alerted local police. Police found the man holding one can of computer duster, with three other empty cans in the front seat of his vehicle.

He was charged with inhalation of vapors.

Tennessee Man Arrested for Inhalant Use

Via The Leaf Chronicle

A 44-year-old man was arrested in Clarksville, Tennessee after police officers found items used for sniffing inhalants inside his vehicle. He was pulled over by Clarksville Police for a traffic stop, when they noticed spray paint cans, a brown paper bag with similar paint cans inside, and three glass pipes with a burned residue inside of them, all in the rear of his vehicle.

The man was charged with failure to carry/exhibit license, criminal impersonation, inhalants and unlawful drug paraphernalia.

Tennessee Woman Causes Apartment Fire While Huffing

Via WRCBtv.com

A Chattanooga woman was arrested in connection with a March 29th apartment fire. The Captain says he and other firefighters noticed a strong smell of gasoline after an apartment fire was put out.  He called the Fire Investigation Division to investigate.  Evidence showed that one of the two occupants had been huffing gasoline in the bathroom. 

The person huffing lit up in the bathroom and due to the room full of gas fumes, a fire erupted.  The two occupants in the apartment at the time were not injured. 

Following the investigation, officials went to arrest the woman occupant.  Officials say she and her husband were evicted from the apartment complex and were staying at a local hotel.  When officials arrived at the hotel they could smell gas fumes and the woman refused to answer the door.  Investigators entered through a window and arrested her.  They found two one-gallon containers full of gas inside the room.  She faces six counts of reckless endangerment due to the danger she put the other apartment residents in.

Indiana Man Arrested for Huffing in Parking Lot

Via WBIW.com

A 26-year-old, Bloomington, Indiana man was arrested after police were called to the parking lot of a Kmart.

According to police the man had purchased cans of duster and was huffing them in his car.  A 14-year-old boy was also in the car, but police say he did not appear to be intoxicated.  The man was arrested on preliminary charges of inhaling toxic vapors.

Sniffing Legal Substances is Still Against the Rules in the Military

Via Air Force Times

Matthew Tully, a veteran of war responds to a question on military inhalant abuse.  A question was posed if military personnel could be punished for getting high off legal substances. 

Tully writes,

"Just because products that are innocuous when used appropriately, such as glue, gasoline and nail polish remover, are not designated as controlled substances doesn’t mean service members can inhale or otherwise abuse them without risk of discipline."

Read his full response here.

Pennsylvania Mom Seeks Changes After Losing Her Daughter to Inhalant Abuse

Via the InsuranceNewsNet.com:

A 29 year old Pennsylvania woman is dead after abusing inhalants and now her mother is seeking changes in mental health regulations. 

On Feb 13^th, Amy sent her mom a text “I want to die” and when her mom reached her apartment, through a window, she could see her daughter passed out on her bed. She couldn’t wake her daughter so police were able to gain entry. When she woke she had sustained a cold burn/frostbite on her hand from the can of computer duster.  Inside the apartment police found “numerous trash bags packed with empty canisters of the spray cleaner.

On February 28^th her mom texted her to see how she was doing but when she hadn’t heard back by March 1^st she went to her apartment to check on her. The landlady told her Amy wasn’t answering the door and when she entered the apartment she noted Amy wasn’t breathing. She was pronounced dead and the coroners’ office ruled her death accidental with the cause of death being cardiac arrest induced by difluoroethane.