Nitrous oxide cannisters are being used as recreational drugs. Photo / Andrew Warner
Nitrous oxide cannisters are being used as recreational drugs. Photo / Andrew Warner
A recreational nitrous oxide user says he’s now getting his supply from a neighbourhood bakery after local vape shops stopped selling them following a crackdown.
Nitrous oxide - aka laughing gas/NOS/nangs - is a colourless gas with legitimate uses in healthcare and in cooking, but can be abused to get high.
The Government on Sunday announced that selling or using nitrous oxide to get high could lead to a jail sentence or hefty fines.
Vape shops approached by the Herald said they had stopped selling nitrous oxide in their stores after receiving advice from the Ministry of Health about the ban.
However, a user who spoke to the Herald on the condition of anonymity said he could get his supplies from a bakery in Otahuhu.
“We used to pay about $20 for a box of 10, but after the ban it’s going to cost us double that,” he said.
When approached, the bakery denied selling the drug or even using it for baking products in their store. Nitrous oxide is sold commercially to make whipped cream.
Nangs are often sold in boxes of 10.
A Ministry of Health spokesman said they know a range of retailers are selling nitrous oxide – “including many for legitimate baking purposes”.
“However, any store owner who is supplying nitrous oxide for inhalation is breaching the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 and will face prosecution.”
A worker at an Auckland vape store told the Herald that until about a week ago, they had stocked nitrous oxide at the shop. He said recreational users formed just a small number of people who bought it.
“Many of our customers are bakeries who used to buy in bulk from us because they use the gas for baking,” the worker said.
“The cost to them, after bulk discount, is about $12.50 per box. I have not heard about bakeries selling them on to users.”
Health Minister Shane Reti said it was illegal to sell nangs for recreational use, but smokefree enforcement officers have reported seeing them for sale in vape shops.
“This is extremely concerning,” he said.
Reti received advice from the Ministry of Health last week - and Medsafe had updated its advice to say when nitrous oxide was used primarily to get high, it was considered a psychoactive substance and fell under the Psychoactive Substances Act.
The minister said this meant police could prosecute the sale and use of the substance if it was used recreationally.
To get high, users would inhale the gas usually by cracking the nitrous oxide canisters into balloons for inhaling.
An advisory issued by Medsafe and the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority said they had received reports that there was significant business in selling small to medium-sized nitrous oxide canisters for recreational use.
This was occurring through both physical and online retailers, many which had no connection to the catering industry.
It said retailers should consider any evidence of misuse and could not escape liability simply by seeking an assurance from the buyer that the product would only be used for catering purposes.
Anyone convicted of selling, offering to sell or possessing nitrous oxide for personal use could be sentenced to up to two years’ jail, or a $500,000 fine for a company.
Personal possession of the substance was punishable by a fine of up to $500.
