Gas death family's second blow

The family of a Hamilton man who died after sniffing butane gas say it is the second tragedy to strike them.

Nicholas Grant Baxter, 23, collapsed and died in front of family members on Sunday afternoon.

Police said he had been inhaling butane gas while watching a movie at home.

"Family members were present at the time and attempted to revive him using CPR," said Senior Sergeant Graham Shields of Hamilton police.

Mr Baxter's sister, Amber, was killed in a horrific crash nine years ago.

The 18-year-old was one of five teenagers who died when their car went under a truck and trailer unit at Huntly.

The Baxter family were yesterday too distraught to speak about the death of Nicholas.

"This is number two and it's a bit tough to bear," said their father, Grant Baxter.

Family members had told police Mr Baxter had been abusing solvents, including butane, for the past three weeks.

Police and St John Ambulance were called to the house after Mr Baxter collapsed and began frothing at the mouth, said Mr Shields.

Mr Baxter's death follows other recent solvent overdoses, including two in Nelson.

The Nelson Coroner is investigating the deaths of a 15-year-old and a 19-year-old from the gas in the past few months.

And the Wellington Coroner is investigating the deaths of six people from inhaling solvents during an 18-month period.

New Zealand Drug Foundation chief executive Ross Bell said solvent abuse was a difficult problem to solve.

"We've been describing it, in fairly crude terms, as a trend. Trends in solvent abuse and related deaths are a cyclical thing and it seems at the moment we're either on a peak or at least at a time where there is increased inhaling of solvents."

An amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act before Parliament would create a new drug schedule which could include solvents and restrict sales.