Nangs Delivery are nitrous oxide cream chargers that can be purchased in convenience stores and online as ‘kitchen supplies’. Possession of the canisters is not illegal in Queensland as long as they are not sold to minors.
But what started as a harmless ‘just for a laugh’ at stoolies week quickly morphed into a crippling addiction. Now serious cases of nang abuse are on the rise.
How do nangs delivery work?
Nitrous oxide, also known as nangs, whipped cream chargers or ‘Whip-its’, is a colorless gas that has been used as an anesthetic for more than 100 years. It’s sometimes used in a medical setting to relax a patient before procedures that don’t require a general anesthetic, such as childbirth or minor dental surgery.
A nang works by attaching a balloon to the screw top and then piercing or “cracking” it with a pin, which instantly fills the balloon with nitrous oxide. It then gets inhaled by the user, producing a high that lasts for between 30 seconds and one minute. People can consume several nangs in a row, though the effect does not increase with each use.
Nangs Delivery are often the drug of choice for Scholes Week, with media reports linking their use to the death of Hamish Bidgood at a Gold Coast party last week. Despite the death, police have vowed to continue to crack down on nangs and have introduced new measures including restricting sales to over 16s and placing mandatory ‘poison’ labels on all nang canisters.
However, banning nangs won’t prevent their use – the gas is currently legal and available in every corner store and late-night 7-Eleven. And, as the recent history of alcohol prohibition shows, banning drugs only leads to more unregulated and dangerous products flooding into the market.
What are the benefits of nangs?
In the end, nangs delivery are just a bit of fun and, with a box of 10 costing about $12, they’re a cheap way to have some (relatively) safe frolics. They’re available from many corner stores and online, and are a staple of Scholes Week festivities – not to mention a regular sight on any student share house floor.
Nitrous oxide is a colorless, tasteless gas that can be used to feel intoxicated or high, or for sedation. It is also known as laughing gas, and is commonly used in medical settings to help patients relax during procedures that don’t require a general anaesthetic, such as childbirth or minor dental surgery. Nitrous oxide can also cause visual and auditory hallucinations, which is why some people take a combination of drugs with nangs to intensify their experience.
While nangs can be quite safe, they can block oxygen from reaching the brain and make you disorientated, so it’s important to always be seated while using them. Nitrous oxide can also deprive the body of vitamin B12, which can have serious health consequences over time.
But despite the potential dangers, the vast majority of nangs users are very careful not to overdose. Nitrous oxide is highly addictive, and many users report that the drug becomes increasingly “moreish” with each use. However, there are a number of deaths linked to the drug, with most cases involving nangs that are injected or inhaled with too much oxygen, rather than ingested through the mouth.
What are the risks of nangs?
Nitrous oxide, also known as ‘nangs’, ‘nossies’ or ‘whippets’ is a colorless, odorless gas that causes dizzy hallucinations. It’s commonly used as a recreational drug by dumping the small canisters of nitrous oxide (also known as ‘bulbs’) into a balloon and inhaling. It’s cheap and easily available, with nang delivery services popping up online that promise to deliver a nang to your door in a matter of hours.
Inhaling nangs delivery gives you a feeling of euphoria and lightheadedness that lasts about 20 seconds. It can be addictive, and there are reports of people becoming dependent on it. It can also cause nausea, vomiting, headaches and loss of consciousness. Long-term use can lead to memory loss, ringing in the ears, numbness, psychosis and disruption of the reproductive system.
It is possible to die from inhaling nitrous oxide, but it would require a lot more than what comes in a single bulb. It is also possible to become dehydrated from nangs, especially if you are drinking alcohol as well. There are also concerns about the long-term health effects of nangs, including potential neurological damage.
Despite these risks, nangs are not illegal. They are sold legally in Australia and can be bought from corner stores and late-night 7-Elevens. However, the policing of these drugs is difficult as they’re made from food-grade material and are often disguised as canisters of cooking oil or ketchup. Prohibiting these drugs is likely to lead to a black market supply that is more harmful than the legal product.
How do nangs help you?
Nitrous oxide, better known as nangs or whip-its, is the cheap party drug of choice for many Australian teenagers. Despite their popularity, the canisters of nitrous oxide, which look like whipped cream chargers, are not regulated and can be purchased from smoke shops, late night 7-Elevens and even some grocery stores.
The nangs are often used to create an intoxicating and laughing gas effect, which can be experienced for up to one minute. The effects can include floating sensations, numbness, uncontrollable laughter and blurred vision. However, the experience can also be unpleasant for some users, and they may feel dizzy or light-headed, particularly if other drugs are used at the same time.
Nangs are often used at parties or festivals, and they can be very dangerous if they’re used incorrectly. The gases can be inhaled directly from the nang, or it can be dispensed into another object, such as a balloon. It’s important to use a filter, such as a piece of fabric, to avoid breathing in the 3mm stainless steel shards that are sometimes present on nanganators and crackers.
Nangs are easily available, and a recent case of a teenage girl left bed-bound with a crippling addiction to the drug has highlighted the dangers of its widespread use. A young woman named Molly racked up thousands of dollars in debt buying the canisters on buy now, pay later apps at local smoke shops and convenience stores, and was using two 1.3-litre canisters each day.