Inhalants cause concerns, stores ID for common products
Although Utah teens fall far below the national average for alcohol and other drug use, the rate of inhalant use among Utah teens is actually higher than the national average, according to the 2003 Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention Survey.
According to the Web site, www.inhalants.org, inhalant abuse is the intentional breathing of gas or vapor with the purpose of reaching a high. Common inhalants include paint thinner, white out, spray cans, rubber cement and white out.
Some Utah retail stores require customers to be at least 18 years old to buy commonly abused products.
Wal-Mart requires the shopper to have identification that he or she is 18 or older to purchase products like rubber cement glue, paint thinner, cough syrup and other products that could be potentially abused, said Ron Tuttle, Logan’s Wal-Mart store manager.
“Wal-Mart wants to protect kids and ourselves,” he said.
A prompt for the store clerk comes on the screen automatically when someone purchases a product requiring identification, he said.
Audrey Cummings, a sophomore in interior design, said she went to Wal-Mart in September to buy rubber cement for a project and was surprised when the cashier asked for identification.
“I had just worked out. I probably looked like I was going to go home and sniff the glue because I looked so worn out,” she said. “When you want to buy rubber cement, buy other school supplies too so you don’t look like a druggie.”
Shopko does not require identification for rubber cement, but it does have limits on other potentially abused products, store manager Mark Mochamps said.
A person cannot buy more than two packages of Sudafed and they must be 18 and show identification, Mochamps said. Identification is also required for many aerosol can products such as computer cleaners or spray paint, he said.
KMart has limits on the number of Sudafed and baby formula purchases, store manager Bruce Comer said. Baby formula can be used as a base in making certain drugs, he said.
Cummings said she thinks it’s a good idea to require identification, but she doubts that it will make a big difference.
“Kids can still get the glue if they really want it,” Cummings said.
“Inhalants are legal, everyday products which have a useful purpose, but can be misused,” according to www.inhalants .org
According to the site, inhalants are popular because they are universally available, generally inexpensive, easy to conceal and can be obtained without having to go to a dealer. Young people are also often unaware of the consequences.
Inhalants.org reports that the effects of inhalants may include slight stimulation, feeling of less inhibition or loss of consciousness. The fumes can cause damage to the brain, kidneys, heart, liver, bone marrow and other organs.
According to the site, inhalants also have the potential to cause Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, even on the first use. This heart dysfunction often follows agitation, such as getting caught in the act, inhalants.org
Inhalants are often gateway drugs, leading to heavier use later.
“Children who abuse inhalants early in life are more likely later to use other illicit drugs,” said www.aafp.org.
According to the Web site, www.inhalants.org, one out of every five children has abused an inhalant before eighth grade. The Web site reports that the highest abuse rates are among young white males.
According to the site, there are more than 1,000 products that can be abused. Products may be sniffed from a container or huffed.
Kim Child, a freshman majoring in music, had a friend who tried huffing in junior high school.
“They went into the bathroom and huffed using a spray air freshener,” she said.
Utah law states that “inhaling certain compounds for intoxication” is illegal, but abusers are not fined, jailed or given treatment.
-ashschiller@cc.usu.edu