RUC4
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2018
- Messages
- 646
Should there be law reform on inhalants? Could Aaron Carter's death have been prevented?
Aaron Carter, the brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, died at the age of 34 in LA recently. (article here) He was found in his bathtub with pills and several cans of inhalants near him. Compressed air, which usually comes in the form of cans used for dusting keyboards, is sometimes abused for its psychoactive effects in a practice called “huffing.” A similar drug called whippets, which involves inhaling nitrous oxide, is used for its similar euphoric, dissociative effects. He admitted in an interview in 2019 that his late sister introduced him to them, before she died from an overdose at 25. He said said he was addicted to inhalants and had been using them since his teens. After his teens, he claims to have "barely touched" them until he was on Dancing With The Stars in 2009. That's around 13 years of abuse. He said he would go to Staples or Office Depot and buy it [inhalants] with cash so it couldn't be traced back to him.
(data taken from here)
His death is just the latest to involve inhalants. In June, another TV star was found dead with several cans of compressed air. (read the full story here) And these are just a few of the many and it begs the questions - are inhalants legal and, if so, should there be (more) restriction on the purchase of things that can be used for this purpose? The common household products that are misused as inhalants are legally available for their intended and legitimate uses. However, 46 states have enacted legislation designed to prevent products that are commonly used as inhalants from being sold to minors, which would have not impacted either of these deaths as they were both adults at the time of their deaths. This means that in 4 states, even kids can purchase these products.
With the rising number of deaths involving inhalants, should the laws change? Should they be regulated? Should you have to sign for the purchase and it be limited to a set number per person, like with Sudafed? Would stricter laws have prevented these deaths? If it was treated like Sudafed, they would certainly be flagged if they were buying a lot of cans. It's known that meth dealers will pay people to drive to different store locations to purchase Sudafed. What are your thoughts?
Aaron Carter, the brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, died at the age of 34 in LA recently. (article here) He was found in his bathtub with pills and several cans of inhalants near him. Compressed air, which usually comes in the form of cans used for dusting keyboards, is sometimes abused for its psychoactive effects in a practice called “huffing.” A similar drug called whippets, which involves inhaling nitrous oxide, is used for its similar euphoric, dissociative effects. He admitted in an interview in 2019 that his late sister introduced him to them, before she died from an overdose at 25. He said said he was addicted to inhalants and had been using them since his teens. After his teens, he claims to have "barely touched" them until he was on Dancing With The Stars in 2009. That's around 13 years of abuse. He said he would go to Staples or Office Depot and buy it [inhalants] with cash so it couldn't be traced back to him.
Volatile Solvents | Aerosols | Gases | Nitrites |
| Paint thinner | Paint | Nitrous oxide | Cyclohexyl nitrite (found in room deodorizers) |
| Correction fluid | Deodorant | Ether | Amyl nitrite (sold in small capsules) |
| Gasoline | Hair products | Chloroform | Butyl nitrite (sold in small bottles) |
| Felt-tip markers | Cooking products | ||
| Nail polish remover | Fabric protector | ||
| Rubber cement |
His death is just the latest to involve inhalants. In June, another TV star was found dead with several cans of compressed air. (read the full story here) And these are just a few of the many and it begs the questions - are inhalants legal and, if so, should there be (more) restriction on the purchase of things that can be used for this purpose? The common household products that are misused as inhalants are legally available for their intended and legitimate uses. However, 46 states have enacted legislation designed to prevent products that are commonly used as inhalants from being sold to minors, which would have not impacted either of these deaths as they were both adults at the time of their deaths. This means that in 4 states, even kids can purchase these products.
With the rising number of deaths involving inhalants, should the laws change? Should they be regulated? Should you have to sign for the purchase and it be limited to a set number per person, like with Sudafed? Would stricter laws have prevented these deaths? If it was treated like Sudafed, they would certainly be flagged if they were buying a lot of cans. It's known that meth dealers will pay people to drive to different store locations to purchase Sudafed. What are your thoughts?
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