What are the street names for it?

Glue, gass, aerosols, lighter fuel, Nitrous oxide, whippets, laughing gas.

What type of drug is it?

Inhalants aren't drugs in the regular sense of the word. They are in the form of household products that are inhaled or sniffed by children to get high. There are hundreds of household products on the market today that can be misused as inhalants.

What does it look like?

Examples of products kids abuse to get high include model airplane glue, nail polish remover, cleaning fluids, hair spray, gasoline, the propellant in aerosol whipped cream, spray paint, fabric protector, air conditioner fluid (freon), cooking spray and correction fluid.

How is it used?

These products are sniffed, snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or "huffed" (inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth) to achieve a high. Inhalants are also sniffed directly from the container.

What are the effects?

Users feel thick-headed, dizzy, giggly and dreamy. They may also hallucinate (see or hear things which aren't real). The effects disappear after 15 to 45 minutes. Afterwards, users feel drowsy and may suffer a headache.
About half of the young people experience hallucinations when under the influence, and the most sniffing takes place in out of the way places. Users may need more of the solvent to get a high as they become more tolerant.
Use of gases, glues or aerosols can cause instant death - even on the first go. Squirting the stuff down the throat may cause the body to produce fluid that floods the lungs. This can be fatal. Abusing gases, glues or aerosols can lead to nausea, vomiting, black-outs and fatal heart problems. Accidents can happen when the user is high because their senses are affected. There is a risk of suffocation if the substance is inhaled from a plastic bag over the head. Long-term abuse can damage the brain, liver and kidneys.

Physical Dependence:

none

Psychical Dependence:

moderate

Tolerance:

none