Wetin be di danger of Nitrous oxide alias laughing gas wey NDLEA dey warn Nigerians about

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday order nationwide clampdown on illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide aka laughing gas.

NDLEA for dia statement on 11 July say dia oga patapata Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa direct all commands and formation of di agency to carry out di action as pipo dey use di gas for recreational purposes.

Di agency dey react to di trend among Nigerian youths and celebrities wey dey take dis gas.

No be only Nigerians dey abuse of nitrous oxide, but many kontris don implement measures to restrict di supply of dis gas.

Wetin be nitrous oxide?

According to di research and analysis on nitrous oxide wey di UK goment publish for dia site, di gas na colourless gas wey dey sweet and na Joseph Priestly discover am for 1772.

Dem don use nitrous oxide wey dem combine wit oxygen for anaesthetic and analgesic for medical and dental settings.

E also get many oda legitimate industrial and commercial use. For example, for example, dem dey use am as food additive, propellant for catering and component of vehicle fuel.

Di publication also tok say nitrous oxide na di focus of pre-clinical and clinical research for some potential therapeutic uses. For example, for acute antidepressant, as treatment for alcohol withdrawal and as potential intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For ova 200 years, dem don use nitrous oxide as psychoactive effects. Wen dem inhale am, e fit produce euphoria, mild perceptual changes and uncontrollable laughter, wey fit last for 30 seconds to one minute.

Wen pipo use nitrous oxide for non-medical purposes, dem dey inhale am directly from cannisters or balloons/plastic bags wey contain di gas.

Wetin be di danger of nitrous oxide?

Dr Mustapha Gudaji, psychiatric wey dey work for Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, tell BBC News Pidgin say laughing gas abuse dey lead to madness.

Di doctor wey don dey deal with drug abusers for 27 years now also yarn say death also fit occur as a result of using Nitrous Oxide wey pipo sabi as laughing gas.

“Ordinarily laughing gas na good tin for medical pipo especially dentists wey dey always use am to numb pain of pipo with tooth wahala wey need operation.

“But pipo wey wan high dey abuse am especially in parties wia some pipo dey blow am into balloons to inhale in order to do all sorts of tins out of control.

“Some pipo after use fit become unconscious and if help no come in time dem fit even lose dia lives as a result of laughing gas abuse.”

“While for some madness fit happun because na sometin wey dey affect normal functions of di brain,” di medical expert tok.

Dr Gudaji call on goment and di society to wake up to dia responsibility regarding dis problem wey e say fit spiral out of control.

“Di work to stop dis abuse na for everybody not only goment sake of say parents and society get role to play.”

“Dis young pipo wey dey abuse dis drug need to dey counseled on di dangers of wetin dem dey do,” di doctor add.

Oda dangers wey di gas fit cause na:

Youths dey also high on colos

No be only laughing gas currently dey trend among Nigerian youths, one drug wey dem dey call colos na anoda dangerous substance dem dey consume.

Di tok-tok pesin for di National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Femi Babafemi follow shook mouth for dis mata.

Babafemi explain say colos wey be street name for Colorado na very strong variant of cannabis and na synthetic wit very high CHC chemical component.

“Dem dey import am into di kontri. Dem no dey process am locally, na import dem dey import am. Sake of say na synthetic wit very high CHC chemical component, pipo wey dey take am dey get psychiatric symptoms. Dem go begin do tins wey no dey normal or wey dey violent in nature and in some cases a lot of dem injure diasef sake of di reaction of di chemical component of di susbtance,” Babafemi tok.

Speaking further, Babafemi tok say drug wey Nigerians abuse most na cannabis. E add say according to di 2018 National Drug Survey for di kontri, out of di 14.3 million Nigerians wey dem capture say dem abuse illicit substances, 10.6 million of dem abuse cannabis alone.

“Dis show say cannabis for Nigeria or anywhere else na di most commonly abused illicit substance, and dis na why di agency dey take strong position against pipo wey dey push for di legalisation of cannabis for Nigeria,” Babafemi add.