Raheem Sterling has been criticised by Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for being caught apparently inhaling laughing gas. But what exactly is the legal high sometimes known as “hippy crack”?
Anaesthetic nitrous oxide is a gas that can make people feel relaxed, euphoric and giggly, leading to its common nickname. It is not illegal to be in possession of the substance, although it is prohibited from being sold in England and Wales to under-18s if there is a risk they will inhale it.
Abusing nitrous oxide can lead to oxygen deprivation, resulting in loss of blood pressure, fainting and even heart attacks.
While the gas can be legitimately used for pain relief in dental procedures, in engines to make them perform better, and in aerosol cans to prevent food going off, there have been concerns at its use as a so-called legal high.
A Home Office campaign last year on the risks of legal highs showed that laughing gas was the second most popular drug among young adults in 2013-14 after cannabis, being more widely used than cocaine and ecstasy.
Research by the Local Government Association also described as “deeply disturbing” the notion that many young people view nitrous oxide as safe, despite it being linked to a number of deaths.
The 17-year-old Joseph Benett suffered a cardiac arrest after taking the popular party drug in 2012. The promising art student fell into a coma but later died.
In September last year three revellers became ill at a nightclub in Bolton after suffering a suspected bad reaction to laughing gas.
Police were called to Royal Bolton hospital amid reports the trio were suffering from the effects of drug ingestion. It was thought they may have inhaled nitrous oxide, but they were said at the time to be recovering well.
