While out walking his dog, Keep 106 Sports Reporter Idris Martin stumbled across 2 canisters of Nitrous Oxide close to a children’s play area in Lodmoor Country Park in Weymouth.
Idris said: “At first I thought they were drinking vessels that runners carry, so I picked both of them up, but when I realised what they were, I disposed of them safely so no kids could get their hands on them. They had been thrown into a hedge, but could easily be seen from the footpath, and I would hate to think of what could happen if any kids got to them.”
Nitrous Oxide has become popular among teenagers and young adults overtaking most other drugs and is often referred to as ‘hippy crack’, ‘laughing gas’, ‘whippets’, or ‘NOS’. The Office of National Statistics says that 3.9% of people in the aforementioned age groups were abusing nitrous oxide, with only cannabis remaining more popular.
It is becoming increasingly common to find discarded cannisters and balloons in parks and recreational areas where young people gather.
Photo credit: Idris Martin