00:02Nitrous oxide is traditionally used by medical professionals as a form of anaesthetic as well
00:08as in the hospitality industry to whip cream, but it's becoming increasingly popular for
00:13young Australians to use it as a cheap way to get high.
00:17It's quite easy to access nitrous oxide at places like convenience stores, tobacconists,
00:23some petrol stations and there's even some online retailers that offer to deliver the
00:28gas to you 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
00:32Now our side effects of using and abusing the drug vary from depression and psychosis to
00:41nerve damage which can lead to physical disabilities and there are more than a dozen deaths across
00:47Australia since 2020 for the potential role of nitrous oxide in them for instances like
00:53drowning and car crashes.
00:56Now under these changes by the Minns Government it'll be illegal to sell canisters or cylinders
01:02of the gas which contain more than 10 grams of the gas and it'll also be illegal to sell
01:09bulbs which typically contain seven to eight grams of nitrous oxide to those under the age
01:15of 18. This is what New South Wales Health Minister Brian Park had to say about the changes.
01:21So we're trying to do what we can to make it very clear that this type of product needs to
01:27be
01:27for sale in a restricted way and that we need retailers to get on board otherwise we will be
01:34able to implement those fines. Individuals who break these laws will face two thousand dollar fines
01:40and businesses could face fines of up to eleven thousand dollars.
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