NDLEA orders clampdown on illegal sale, use of 'laughing gas'

Following its abuse by those who use it for recreational purposes, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency's (NDLEA) chairman and chief executive officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, has ordered all commands and formations of the organisation to immediately begin a clampdown on the illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.

The NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, revealed this in a statement on Tuesday.

The decision to crack down on those engaged in the illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide, according to Babafemi, was made after a study of the side effects the drug has on abusers, which include dizziness, headaches, lightheadedness, hallucinations, falling unconscious, being lost in thought, fainting spells, and/or suffocating from a lack of oxygen, as well as other neurological complications, particularly psychiatric symptoms.

However, the NDLEA asked parents, guardians, and other stakeholders to exercise caution, alertness, and warning when it came to their children's attempts to experiment with or abuse the substance because doing so could endanger their mental and general health.

According to DAILY POST, dentists and medical professionals frequently utilise the colourless gas nitrous oxide to sedate patients during minor medical operations and relieve discomfort.

Popularly known as laughing gas or N20, it is quickly becoming a substance sought after by young Nigerian partygoers or thrill-seekers to feel drunk or high.

To produce euphoric effects, the gas is frequently transferred from its cylinders into balloons before being consumed.

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