BUTANE SNIFFING, CALLED HUFFING, IS A GROWING HEALTH THREAT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Health officials say new kind of drug abuse is tempting
young Oregonians -- sniffing butane fumes.

The practice is called huffing, and it claimed the life of James Mitchell
Stolberg, 18, on Sunday.

Stolberg and two teen-age friends were filling plastic bags with vapors
from disposable lighters Sunday, then inhaling the fumes from the bags,
Salem Police Lt. Dan Deitz said.

According to authorities, Stolberg had stopped breathing three times before
one of the friends called medics. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was
already dead.

"It sounds like a typical sad end result of typical huffers," said Officer
Dave Driscoll, a drug recognition expert for Salem police. "People will try
pretty much any chemical. Unfortunately, they may not survive it the first
time."

Huffing is most common among young people age 11 to 19, Driscoll said.
While butane is often used, huffers also seek other cheap inhalents, such
as spray paint, air freshener and nonstick cooking spray.

Some Salem-area grocery stores have had problems with teens who inhale the
propellant from cans of whipped cream. When a buyer tries to dispense the
whipped cream at home, nothing but liquid comes out.

In Stolberg's case, the teens had heard that the butane fumes would enhance
their highs from the marijuana they were smoking.

What makes huffing so dangerous is that people inhale substances based on
rumors that the practice is safe, said Oregon State Police Lt. Chuck Hayes,
who heads the state's Drug Recognition Expert training program.

Most inhalants act as depressants that slow down the central nervous
system, Driscoll said. The effects kick in almost instantly, often causing
the huffer to pass out. Symptoms can include dizziness, drowsiness,
distorted vision that may alter shapes and colors, feelings of floating or
spinning, distorted spatial perception and nausea.

"It varies greatly from inhalant to inhalant, and nobody really goes out
and studies these real hard because they are so dangerous," Driscoll said.

Some inhalants also coat the inside of the lungs and cause the huffer to
suffocate. Often, people who pass out die from choking on their own vomit
or on the bag they use to collect the vapors. Just a few uses can cause
long-term damage to the central nervous system, as well as decreased
memory, concentration and coordination.

Police are taught to recognize drivers who may be under the influence of
inhalants, but Oregon's laws still do not include inhalants in its
definition of driving under the influence of intoxicants despite their
prevalence.

"Without a doubt, we've had many incidents in the state where people have
been driving under the influence of paint, paint thinner, gases," Hayes
said. "And yet we cannot charge them with DUII because the law does not
cover those offenses."

Hayes and Driscoll said huffers' deaths will probably end only through
education. Hayes hopes a current radio campaign that warns of the dangers
of inhalants will help inform young people.

"It's really unfortunate that people have to die to bring this information
out," Driscoll said.