Another Loss For Inhalants: The Philippines Shut Out Toluene

From Inquirer.net

Government efforts to ban toluene-based products in the Philippines have tightened, as the country’s chief drug agency- The Dangerous Drugs Board has extended stringent surveillance on cement products containing full concentrations of toluene; a highly addictive and dangerous chemical solvent found in gasoline, dyes, detergents, and explosives.

Agency officials are monitoring, processing, and recording all of the ingredients used in the manufacture of contact cement to “ensure that the product has an additive that would prevent it from being abused by kids and young adults.”

Inhalant abuse continues to be one of the country’s most prominent health issues with toluene based contact cement (more commonly referred to as ‘rugby’ by users) contributing the greatest threat, “drawing users for its aromatic and additive properties.”

Cement manufacturers are now required to incorporate at least 5% Mustard Oil content into their product; or risk stifling legal penalties resulting in monetary fines or incarceration.
By adding just a small amount of mustard oil to contact cement, the attractive properties of toluene are significantly reduced and replaced with unpleasant odors specific to mustard oil.

“The regulation also orders manufacturers to place the mustard oil additive on product labels, cartons, and containers;” with the goal of lowering ‘rugby’ abuse rates among adolescents.

Inhalant Abuse Referenced in Murder Case

From the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minnesota:

The article describes a case in which a 14 year-old boy killed a 4 year-old girl. At the time the boy “became the youngest juvenile in Minnesota to be certified as an adult and sent to state prison.”

Now, “exactly 14 years to the day” the girl was killed, he is scheduled to be released.

The article also references the boy’s early use of inhalants:

He “told investigators he began abusing a head-spinning array of drugs and inhalants by age 11. He also "sniffed gasoline, Glade, paint thinner, Whiteout, spray paint, rubber and model cement,'' according to court papers.”