CALL FOR LAUGHING GAS CURB

Health officials and police are looking at ways of cutting the supply
of nitrous oxide as a party drug, because of growing concerns about
its consequences.

They warn that bars and clubs selling nitrous oxide, "nos" or
"laughing gas" as it used to be known, as a recreational drug could be
breaching the Medicines Act.

Christchurch police have asked lawyers for an opinion on whether "nos
bars" are breaking the law.

The Hospitality Association of New Zealand (Hanz) has warned its 300
Canterbury members of potential legal dangers, after talking to police
and public health officials.

It recommends bars keep nos off their premises as a possibly illegal
mind-altering substance.

Nitrous oxide is variously classified as a prescription medicine, used
in anaesthetics, and a food additive propellant under the Food Act.

It is not classified under the Misuse of Drugs Act but could be under
a proposed law change.

Nitrous oxide gives people a cheap head-rush lasting 30 seconds to a
minute. Immediate adverse effects include nausea and vomiting.

Taken in combination with other drugs, nos has been implicated in the
deaths of two young men in separate car crashes in Christchurch and
Nelson.

"It's a big concern for us," said police liquor licensing Acting
Sergeant Al Lawn. "If you mix a cocktail of legalised drugs, nitrous
oxide and alcohol you are creating a recipe for disaster."

While the drug is seen as a low public health risk, authorities are
concerned about its accessibility and popularity.

Nos is sold in dairies, convenience stores and party pill shops -
ostensibly for whipping cream. Youths can buy a pack of 10 cartridges
for as little as $12. Discarded silver cartridges can be seen in city
gutters, Hagley Park and Port Hills gathering spots.

Professionals in their 30s and 40s are also huffing nos in bars and
clubs. Some bars fill balloons from cartridges or large
industrial-type cylinders of nitrous oxide and sell them to patrons.

The Ministry of Health said long-term frequent abuse could damage bone
marrow and the nervous system. It could also deplete the body of
vitamin B12, leading to impaired memory and mental function.

Several people have died overseas from suffocation after abusing the
drug.

Community and Public Health liquor licensing officer Peter Shaw
alerted the police about the potential of using the Medicines Act. The
law makes it an offence for a person to trade in prescription
medicines, punishable by a maximum six years jail or a $40,000 fine.

"We are responding from a public-health point of view and doing our
best to warn people off it," Shaw said.

Lawn has asked the police legal section for clarification on whether
nos sold for inhalation could be classed as a prescription medicine.
If so, police could end up prosecuting suppliers.

Canterbury medical officer of health Mel Brieseman said selling nos
for inhalation was "not strictly legitimate".

"It is uncertain as to how illegal it might be. It is certainly, I
believe, foolish."

The ministry believed the chances of a successful prosecution under
the act for supplying nos as a recreational drug were remote as it was
not being sold as a medicine.

When sold in canisters intended for commercial use, such as whipping
cream, the product could not be construed as a medicine, said chief
public health adviser Ashley Bloomfield.

But Hanz has already primed bar owners of possible legal pitfalls
after receiving advice from the police.

"It (nos) is not something we encourage and we've given our members
the advice that it shouldn't be on their premises," Canterbury-West
Coast regional manager Susan Biss said.

Nos could be covered by a new "D" drug classification under the Misuse
of Drugs Act, for "low risk" substances, being considered by
Parliament's health select committee.