Concerns about 'nangs' use in Hawkes Bay

A significant jump in the recreational use of nitrous oxide, or nangs, has Hawkes Bay officials worried, with claims big cannisters of the gas are being marketed directly to children. Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas, known as laughing gas, which is used as a painkiller in medical and dental procedures, and is also used in catering to make whipped cream. If inhaled recreationally nangs can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord. In recent weeks, dozens of the discarded cannisters have started turning up. Stewart Whyte of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga called a crisis meeting and spoke to Lisa Owen.