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12-Year-Olds More Likely to Use Inhalants Than Other Drugs

More 12-year-olds have used potentially lethal inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens combined, according to data released by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Young people intentionally sniff products such as refrigerant from air conditioning units, aerosol computer cleaners, shoe polish, glue, air fresheners, hair sprays, nail polish, paint solvents, degreasers, gasoline, or lighter fluids to get high. Most parents are not aware that use of inhalants can cause sudden sniffing death—immediate death due to cardiac arrest—or lead to addiction and other health risks.

The SAMHSA data from the 2006-2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health show a rate of lifetime inhalant use among 12-year-olds of 6.9% compared with a rate of 5.1% for the nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs, 1.4% for marijuana use, 0.7% for the use of hallucinogens, and 0.1% for cocaine use.

“We continue to face the challenge of increasing experimentation and intentional misuse of common household products among the youngest and most vulnerable segments of our population—12-year-olds. The data are ominous, and their implications are frightening because of the toxic chemical effects of these legal products on growing minds and bodies. One of the frontline defenses against inhalant use is the family healthcare provider,” says Harvey Weiss, executive director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

The American Osteopathic Association adopted a policy endorsing continuing medical education to enhance physician awareness of the inhalation of volatile substances and support campaigns to increase public awareness of the crisis. This policy was submitted by the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians and resulted in the adoption of risky behaviors in the pediatric patient as its 2009-2010 theme. The policy recognizes that huffing is increasing in children aged 12 to 14.

“Parents must wake up to the reality that their child might try huffing and the consequences could be devastating,” says SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, JD. “That’s why SAMHSA is leading the way to get information out to healthcare providers, kids, parents, and everyone in the community so that our children hear a consistent message about the dangers of huffing.”

Timothy Condon, PhD, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, notes, “As risky as inhalants are, many kids don’t see the drugs that way. In our latest Monitoring the Future study, there’s a disturbing downward trend among high schoolers who see great risk in using inhalants once or twice a week. At the same time, the survey shows that inhalant use isn’t declining as much as it has in recent years among eighth and 10th graders. If today’s attitude translates into future use, we have reason to be concerned.”

— Source: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration