Sniff Sniff- Ahhhhhh

Reports Say Inhalants More Popular with Kids than Parents Know
3/21/2005

At some age levels, more kids use inhalants than marijuana, but parents are often unaware of the risks posed by inhalant use, the Associated Press reported March 18.

Among 12- to-13-year-olds, about one in 12 has used inhalants to get high, making the substances more popular than marijuana among young adolescents, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Commonly abused inhalants include glue, shoe polish, gasoline, and spray paint.

Youths who used inhalants were five times more likely than their peers to have used illicit drugs, the survey also found.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America released a report concluding that while 22 percent of kids ages 12 to 14 had tried inhalants, only 4 percent of parents of kids in grades six to eight believed their children used inhalants. "Inhalant abuse remains a dangerous and potentially deadly behavior that parents need to be aware of," said U.S. drug czar John Walters.