No laughing matter: ‘hippie crack’ craze could be fatal

Balloons seem an unlikely cause for a furore, but the over the last few years the media has reported a growing cast of celebrities caught clutching one allegedly filled with nitrous oxide.

Now researchers have warned than more young people are likely to die from the explosion of the drug, dubbed by the media as “hippie crack”, and say the public needs to be more aware of the risks.

A Home Office campaign last year on the risks of legal highs showed that laughing gas was the second most popular drug among young adults in 2013/14 after cannabis, being more widely used than cocaine and ecstasy. Balloons containing the gas, which is most commonly inhaled, are readily available in nightclubs and shops which sell “legal highs”.

‘Significant risk’

However, one expert claims that use of laughing gas has caused 17 deaths in the UK between 2006 and 2012

Dr Paul Seddon, respiratory consultant and neonatal paediatrician at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, East Sussex, said laughing gas inhaled through balloons poses a significant risk to teenagers. His research claims abusing nitrous oxide can also lead to oxygen deprivation resulting in loss of blood pressure, fainting and even heart attacks.

His study found that 7.6 per cent of 16-to-24-year-olds in England and Wales have admitted to trying balloons, which he described as “widely available” in shops that sell legal highs.

“There’s evidence that its use has mushroomed over the past few years,” he said.

Dr Seddon carried out the research after treating a teenager suffering from an unexplained pneumothorax (sudden sharp chest pain followed by painful breathing). The cause of this was unknown but the patient went on to admit she had inhaled laughing gas at a festival. It is thought that many other youngsters will have suffered similar problems.

“What’s little-known is that long-term use can result in all sorts of severe complications, such as causing problems to the nervous system.

“Seventeen deaths in the UK were attributable to nitrous oxide between 2006-2012, a figure which we would expect to rise given the current surge in usage,” according to the study, which is due to be presented at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s (RCPCH) annual conference this week.

Dr Liam Brennan. vice-president of The Royal College of Anaesthetists, told Channel 4 News he agrees with the warnings, stating emphatically that inhaling nitrous oxide is “not a safe high by any means”.

He said “outside of a healthcare environment it is potentially extremely dangerous. Using nitrous oxide in a balloon puts a person at significant risk of oxygen starvation which can lead to cardiac arrest — which absolutely can be fatal.

“Chronic users risk damage to their blood formation which can lead to anaemia and also to their nervous system which can lead to loss of sensation in hands or feet as well as problems walking”.

‘Misinformation and scaremongering’

However, opinion is divided. DrugsScience, chaired by former government drugs adviser Professor David Nutt, aims to provide independent, science-led drugs information on drug effects, harms and potential medical uses to the public. Its website describes nitrous oxide, when inhaled through the balloon method as “relatively low risk”.

Alistair Bohm, of the drug and alcohol treatment charity Addaction, told Channel 4 News that “unsensational” information must be available to young people to prevent further tragedies from substance misuse.

He says “the figures suggest that nitrous oxide, when inhaled from balloons, is low-risk relative to the majority of other substances of misuse.

“There’s a danger here of conflating nitrous oxide with much more worrying substances, like synthetic cannabinoids or other so-called ‘legal highs’. We know that misinformation and scaremongering about relatively low risk substances can cause young people to switch off and underestimate other risks.”

From carnival to chemist

Laughing gas has been used recreationally for over 200 years. After its discovery in 1772 by English scientist Joseph Priestley it was nearly 100 years before it moved from being the preserve of carnival displays and hedonist outings to general medical use.

While the gas can be legitimately used for pain relief in dental procedures and labour, in engines to make them perform better and in aerosol cans to prevent food going off, Dr Seddon says “clearly the shops that sell legal highs are not selling it for use in confectionery”.

17-year-old art student Joseph Benett died in 2012 from a cardiac arrest after taking what he believed to be the popular party drug in 2012. At his inquest it was revealed the canister Joe used, labelled in Hebrew which he was unable to read, contained a cocktail of chemicals including butane, isobutane and pentane – used in the production of polystyrene foam – and no nitrous oxide at all.

Last year Channel 4 News reported the legal loophole which prevents the police from taking action on the drug – it is not illegal for sellers to supply the gas which comes from canisters intended for whipping cream.

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