'Nang' crackdown to prevent sale of dangerous gas to ACT children

Children will be banned from buying "nangs", the colloquial name for nitrous oxide canisters, in the ACT following an inquest into the drowning death of a teenage driver affected by the gas.

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Health Minister Marisa Paterson said she had tasked officials with regulatory changes in the next year to restrict the supply of nitrous oxide and ban sales to minors.

Health Minister Marisa Paterson. Picture by Karleen Minney

"We will work towards consistency with the NSW regulatory system, aiming to target recreational use of nitrous oxide, particularly by young people and not impact businesses which may have a legitimate need to acquire the gas," Dr Paterson said.

The coroner said the use of nitrous oxide, particularly among young people, was of concern in the ACT.

Nitrous oxide is already regulated under national standards that require storage controls to prevent children accessing the product, along with health and safety warnings on the packaging.

The NSW government in July announced a crack down on the sale of nitrous oxide and a new ban on the sale of the gas to people under 18 years of age.

"Our response is simple: restrict the retail and supply volume; restrict the age of consumers; and restrict the availability of when and how it can be sold," NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said.

Dr Paterson said the government was working on more education materials to warn of the dangers of nitrous oxide, which she said was widely available in the ACT and could be purchased for immediate home delivery.

The gas has legitimate uses in medicine, dentistry, hospitality, science and industry and is already subject to storage controls to prevent access by children.

"Nitrous oxide can cause significant harm when inhaled for recreational, non-therapeutic purposes. Some people may see nitrous oxide as safe given its accessibility. This is wrong," she told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

"Nitrous oxide can cause harmful health impacts ranging from dizziness, frostbite, loss of coordination, and impaired judgement, to psychosis, hypoxia and even death.

"Repeated inhalation of nitrous oxide depletes vitamin B12, which can cause neurological damage, difficulty walking and paralysis. Use of nitrous oxide also presents safety hazards because of its effects on coordination, reaction times and risk of losing consciousness, which can create significant danger."

Dr Paterson said the government supported the coroner's recommendation to review the way nitrous oxide was regulated but would not establish the recommended database for nitrous oxide harms.

"Establishment of functionality within the existing system to separately capture data on nitrous oxide use would involve significant cost, which would exceed the benefits that could be delivered. This is particularly true with reference to the ACT's small population and low prevalence," she said.

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