Major campaign planned against inhalant abuse

WASHINGTON (Reuter) The federal government and industry leaders will launch
a national education campaign against America's ``silent epidemic''
teenage abuse of inhalants like glue, lighter fluid or propane on June
18.

Every month nearly half a million U.S. teenagers abuse or experiment with
inhalants, sniffing concentrated fumes of common household products to get
high, according to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

But most news reports have focused on teen drug abuse rather than this
epidemic, which can lead to longterm effects such as short term memory loss,
hearing impairment, limb spasms, permanent brain damage, as well as sudden
death.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Partnership for a Drug Free
America, and a group of industry leaders will unveil a major education
campaign later this month to educate parents about the dangers of inhalant
abuse, the coalition said.

The campaign will feature a new public service announcement featuring Deloris
Jordan, mother of Chicago Bulls basketball star Michael Jordan, to be aired
on television stations around the country.

The campaign would also include the results of a study on parents' awareness
of inhalant abuse, and new information to be distributed by campaign
participants.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than oneinfive
children abuse inhalants to get high before finishing high school, and
inhalant abuse ranks third in use after alcohol and tobacco for children in
first through seventh grade.

Young people in the 1217 age group most commonly abuse gasoline and lighter
fluid, followed by glue and toluene, while young adults in the 1825 age
group most commonly abuse nitrous oxide or ``whippets.''