U.S. children turn to inhaling to get high: study
(Reuters) - More 12-year-olds in the United States #xadmit to using christmas decorationspotentially deadly inhalants to get high than have used marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, U.S. health officials said on Thursday.
Among this age group, alcohol was the only intoxicating substance used more than inhalants, according to data from 2006-2008 surveys on drug use and health compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sniffing common household products, such as gasoline, nail polish, bleach, paint solvents and cleaning spray is like taking poison and many people do not understand the risks or consequences, the health officials said.
Inhaling vapors to get high, or “huffing,” can cause cardiac arrest. Itchristmas decorations can lead to brain, heart, liver and kidney damage and can be addictive.
“It’s frustrating because the danger comes from a variety of very common household products that are legal, they’re easy to get, they’re laying around the home and it’s easy for kids to buy them,” Pamela Hyde, of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said.
“Kids and parents don’t think of these things as dangerous because they were never meant to be used to be intoxicating,” Hyde told a news conference to discuss the data.
About 7 percent of 12-year-olds have used an inhalant to get high, compared with about 5 percent who have taken prescription drugs for nonmedical use, the surveys showed. About 1.4 percent of 12-year-olds have used marijuana and fewer than one percent have used cocaine or hallucinogens.
The rate of inhalant use of that age#x has remained steady over christmas decorationsthe past few years,google优化, but officials are concerned that young people increasingly do not see abusing inhalants as risky.
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