Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Frankie Feighan. We wish him well in his endeavours.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Comhghairdeas to the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. In recent months my local parks in Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown and Rathcoole have become littered with strange shiny silver bullets. Many people were shocked to discover that these objects are the residue of a new drug abuse craze among young people. Teenagers are inhaling nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, from these bullets to get high.`

While this craze is new in Ireland, we can see the path it leads to from the experiences of other countries. In the UK, one in 11 young people now use nitrous oxide. That is higher than the proportion of young people who use cocaine or ecstasy there. Young Dutch people started experimenting with one or two cartridges but this escalated to the point where abuse is running rampant and is now out of control in the Netherlands. A report by the National Information Centre on Poison in the Netherlands highlights a shocking increase in the number of people consuming 50 cartridges a day. Some young people are consuming as many as 100 cartridges a day through balloons.

It is becoming the drug of choice for young people and the consequences are chilling. In the Netherlands the number of recorded cases of nitrous oxide damaging health has increased tenfold in a four-year period. More than one in three Dutch partygoers now uses nitrous oxide on a regular basis. Some 64 young adults in the Netherlands have been hospitalised in the past two years alone. While too many young people see it as harmless fun neurologists are crystal clear about its long-term consequences. The gas depletes the body's store of vitamin B12. This can cause spinal cord damage and is leading to young people being diagnosed as paraplegic and becoming wheelchair-bound. The average age of Dutch patients confined to wheelchairs as a result of abusing laughing gas is just 22 years of age. In the UK, according to its official statistics, nitrous oxide has been linked to 17 deaths within three years. Tragically, we have suffered our first deaths as a result of this scourge with the media reporting deaths in Millstreet in County Cork and Tallaght in Dublin.

The easy availability of nitrous oxide really is shocking. If one types "buy nitrous oxide" into a search engine now one will see an ad displayed, which the search engine is paid to show, for a website hosted in Ireland, selling these capsules. They are sold under a brand called "Whip-it!" as a 50 pack of whipped-cream chargers. While this appears to be a business supplying the product for legitimate reasons, the comments on the website by purchasers gives the game away. One customer testifies that they "...had zero problems. Works good for whip cream and to trip out...". Another jokes: "This stuff really 'whipped' my cream, if you know what I mean!". "Feels good..." says another happy customer. This comes from a .ieregistered website and that site should not be selling a product that is clearly and obviously being abused. We need to nip this in the bud by acting now. We need a clear strategy to tackle this problem head on before it escalates out of control.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy for raising this very important issue and for giving me the opportunity to address it as the newly-appointed Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy. I also want to take this opportunity to affirm the Government’s full commitment to implementing the national drugs strategy and its commitment to a health-led approach to drug use and the development of harm-reduction interventions. Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas that is most commonly found in pressurised metal containers and canisters and has a number of medicinal and industrial uses. Deputy Higgins rightly outlined all the various issues associated with it.

The gas can be misused to get euphoric effects and it can make users feel intoxicated. I am aware of the recent media reports of the increased use of nitrous oxide during the lockdown period which is of grave concern to me. However, it is important we have evidence-based information regarding the extent of its use. As a result, the HSE is currently in the process of gathering information on the prevalence of its use to inform any future actions that may be sanctioned.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Health works with the HSE to raise awareness of the dangers associated with drugs through the drugs.iewebsite. This website provides a comprehensive range of information and supports related to substance use, including nitrous oxide and other substances. The HSE also operates a drugs and alcohol helpline which is a free and confidential active listening helpline and an email support service offering non-directive support, information guidance and referral to anyone with a question or concern relating to drug and alcohol use. The helpline can be used by directly and by their family members.

The Department of Health, as part of the introduction of the health diversion programme, is providing €100,000 in 2020 to develop a national harm reduction campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with drug use. This will include the use of club drugs, festival drug use and new trends such as nitrous oxide. While this campaign was originally scheduled for the latter part of 2020, this timetable may need to be revised given the draw on resources in response to the challenges arising from Covid-19.

Recently, the HSE launched Know the Score, the first national evidence-based resource on alcohol and drugs for senior cycle students. It aims to engage young people in exploring and considering a wide range of topics related to the risk associated with alcohol and drugs. While these sources of information are most definitely helpful, it is also important to emphasise the crucial role played by parents in educating young people about the risks of substance abuse. Evidence-based content is available ondrugs.ie regarding nitrous oxide, as well as the HSE booklet providing advice for parents on how to talk to young people about the risks associated with drug and alcohol use.

As Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, I believe addressing the drug problem requires a multi-pronged approach that includes prevention initiatives in tandem with targeted harm reduction and treatment services. Particular vigilance is required in protecting young people from threats to their health and wellbeing from misuse of substances, including nitrous oxide.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is very encouraging that he has acted quickly by seeking a report from the HSE around the prevalence of nitrous oxide use in Ireland. Young people seem to have no idea that this product is killing and paralysing their counterparts elsewhere in Europe. I agree we need and education campaign so that they are aware of the consequences. We also need to start recording how many people are affected by abusing nitrous oxide. At the moment we are relying on media reports to tell us of hospitalisations and deaths. There should be official HSE data recording this problem so that we can understand it and the extent of it and I welcome the Minister of State’s move to gather this kind of information.

We need to limit the availability of this product. Due to the fact that it has genuine uses in the food and medical industries, it is freely available to legally purchase. I am not aware of any law banning its sale to persons under 18 years of age. It is illegal to sell it for human consumption but it is impossible to prove that that is the case and that leaves gardaí powerless to act. Belgium is planning to ban the sale of nitrous oxide to persons under 18 years of age and we should follow suit. The Netherlands is investigating banning nitrous oxide altogether and perhaps there is a point in us establishing whether its legal uses can be fulfilled by other means. If so, then maybe we should move to do the same.

Search engines should not be profiting at the expense of our children’s health by selling ads encouraging people to buy this product online. In fact, this product should not be available for purchase online at all. Our young people need to be aware that mild symptoms like a headache, tingling in the arms and legs or numbness can be the first step to ending up in a wheelchair or worse.

Will the Minister of State commit not just to working on a strategy that communicates the dangers of nitrous oxide but to work on a strategy that reduces access to the purchase of these gas canisters which are on sale right now online for as little as €1? I did not have to search very hard last night to find this used canister. They litter my local parks in Lucan, Clondalkin, Rathcoole and Palmerston. We need to act now to protect out young people.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank Deputy Higgins. As she is a new Deputy I am sure she is not aware of the protocols around displaying devices in the Chamber so I will just draw her attention to that.

I ask the Minister of State to conclude on this matter.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy once again for raising the important issue of nitrous oxide. She raised issues regarding the banning of this substance and the fact it is freely available on the Internet. I share her concerns about the apparent ease of purchase of this gas. I assure her that as the Minister of State with responsibility for this area it is an issue I am taking very seriously. I will take the points she has raised this evening back the officials in my Department tomorrow morning. However, I reiterate the HSE is currently in the process of gathering the required evidence-based information on the prevalence of this drug and its use in Ireland and that will inform future actions.

I will conclude by stating that the Government’s policy on drug and alcohol addiction services is set out in the national drugs strategy document Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery: A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025.

The programme for Government commits to continuing to resource harm reduction and education campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of the risks of using this drug. As the Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, I am committed to implementing an integrated public health response to substance misuse and I am confident this will lead to better outcomes for individuals and society.