A mother has called on the government to do more to combat laughing gas as her son’s use spiralled into addiction, before landing him behind bars.
It has since been announced that nitrous oxide is illegal to possess or use recreationally, with the law changing in Novemeber.
Kath’s son Sam* started using the gas socially at the age of 17 and turned to the substance after a string of family bereavements, says the mother.
At the time, Sam had his whole life ahead of him, he was ‘bright and healthy’ and a keen footballer completing an apprenticeship in engineering. His use soon escalated over the last 12 months and he started using the substance every day, adds Kath.
Have you been affected by this story? If so email lydia.patrick@independent.co.uk
Kath, 48, from South Wirral said: “It’s horrifying, as his mum I was waiting for a phone call to tell me he was dead.
“The person he turned into wasn’t my son. Four months ago we found him and he had consumed so much that he couldn’t speak or walk, we had to drag him out the house he was in and bring him home.
“He probably would have been dead in six months. His usage was that high.”
The worried mother found her son surrounded by canister the size of fire extinguishers (file photo)— (PA Wire)
The mother explains her boy could no longer continue his apprenticeship as the B12 deficiency he developed led him unable to get out of bed or to function normally in society.
A vitamin vital for nerve function, B12 allows Myelin, the insulation layer protecting the brain and spinal cord, to function, neurologist David Nicholl explained.
When people inhale NOS, they are temporarily deprived of Oxygen, which leads to the loss of B12.
On one occasion Kath called emergency services in utter desperation after finding her son ‘out of it’ and surrounded by canisters ‘the size of fire extinguishers and wine bottles’.
Sam, now 24, is serving a three year sentence for being in possession of 48,000 nitrous oxide canisters.
Discarded laughing gas canisters on a Leicester street (Alex Hannam/Alamy/PA)
According to Kath, her son was using it every day and she noted the early warning signs - he was difficult to engage with in conversation, acted erratically and had short-term memory issues.
“He was suffering from a lot of relationship breakdowns, we hardly saw him and he wasn’t taking care of himself properly and he couldn’t get out of bed because of the B12 deficiency,” she said. “He was vomiting everyday, he suffered episodes of psychosis and experienced tingling in his limbs.”
Kath argues a better solution would be to speak with suppliers to make the substance less dangerous.
She suspects her son is also suffering from a mental health condition but claims once professionals recognised he was suffering from substance abuse, thet didn’t look into secondary conditions.
Dr David Nicholl is a neurologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and is overun with patients who have taken laughing gas- he says it can have severe effects whether it is a one-time inhalation or repetitive binge.
“It’s taking over my life,” he said. “It’s an epidemic. It didn’t exist pre 2020, now every week we get one or two patients a week - it’s even worse now in summer.”
He notes the main symptoms as numbness, difficulty walking, anxiety and mood disturbances. Inhaling the gas can even lead to blood clots on the lungs and brain, explains the doctor.
Dr Nicholl agrees criminalisation will further stigmatise use and could prevent users from engaging with healthcare professionals. He argues police should target suppliers instead.
“This proposed ban on users won’t help at all,” he said. “There’s a sense of shame and embarrassment from patients due to the language used. Because it’s called laughing gas, people think it’s a joke.”
Dr Nicholl shared one shocking case whereby his colleague treated a patient who went blind due to the raised intracranial pressure caused by NOS inhalation.
He added side effects don’t always show up straight away and can appear weeks later, meaning patients don’t always link their symptoms to ballooning.
Most patients he treats are young adults in their early 20s but has seen children as young as 14 hospitalised.
“I loathe this stuff- but in what way does criminalising the problem solve it?” he asked. “Police should target the shops and sellers.”
Announcing the planned ban last week, Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said: “We cannot allow young people to think there are no consequences to misusing drugs.
“There is no question that abusing laughing gas is dangerous to people’s health and it is paramount we take decisive action before the situation gets worse.
“Not only are we making possession an offence for the first time, we are also doubling the maximum sentence for supply to 14 years, so the dealers profiting off this trade have no place to hide.”
*names have been changed
