Teenagers are addicted to “lighter gas”… and families’ control is absent

Teenagers resort to inhaling lighter gas, as a cheap, fast-acting form of addiction found in grocery stores. A security official warned of the danger of inhaling butane lighter gas, as it has dangerous health effects on the body’s systems and leads to addiction, and is considered one of the narcotics and psychotropic substances.

While the National Rehabilitation Center confirmed that it had received, over the past years, cases of addiction to lighter gas, aged between 16 and 24 years, and they were treated, the Ministry of Interior confirmed that butane gas abuse is not a phenomenon in the country, and that a small number of users of this gas used in Lighters.

Investigations into vehicle explosion incidents during the recent period revealed that the reason behind them was the inhalation of butane gas among teenagers, as five young people were injured in two separate incidents while inhaling this gas inside their vehicles, and it was found that teenagers emptied the contents of the gas canister inside the vehicle’s salon, and closed the windows tightly. To inhale butane gas collectively.

Butane gas is used to fill lighters, and is sold in cylinders as a source of fuel for use in cooking and camping. Lighter gas is sold in supermarkets and retail stores without supervision, and teenagers begin to inhale “butane” out of curiosity and to encourage bad companions, especially since the price of a full package is not More than four dirhams in the markets.

Deputy Director General of Federal Narcotics Control at the Ministry of Interior, Colonel Abdul Rahman Muhammad Al Owais, told Emarat Al Youm that the use of butane gas is not a phenomenon in the UAE, pointing out that a small number of users of this gas used in lighters have been caught. The Ministry is working in coordination with the relevant authorities to update the anti-drug law according to changes and international principles and standards, and to update the narcotic substances to which the law applies to limit their illegal use, which exposes people’s lives to imminent danger.

Al Owais pointed out that “Article (41) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Law stipulates imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year for anyone who takes, possesses with the intention of taking, or personally uses any substance or plant other than the narcotics or psychotropic substances stipulated in the schedules.” attached to this law, would cause sedation or damage to the mind if the use was intended to cause sedation or damage to the mind.”

He stressed that “the law on combating narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is comprehensive, modern and flexible, and works to give law enforcement forces and health, technical and executive agencies full powers and capabilities to paralyze the work of gangs that bring, smuggle and promote drugs and psychotropic substances, and to save young people from the clutches and scourges of addiction regardless of the substance used.” “Which, of course, has negative effects on the health of the user.”

Al Owais appealed to the media and social media to cooperate in this regard and to publish information on such issues from main sources and to follow the facts, and not to publish pictures that might push children to know about this gas and try it or encourage, in one way or another, to abuse it.

He advised families and parents to “monitor the behavior of their children and know who they accompany in civilized, educational and psychological ways and through calm dialogue, in accordance with the correct family education system, and to fill the children’s time with healthy means of entertainment and education, and provide the family with a healthy and educational environment capable of helping young people reinforce positive values ​​and reduce negative behaviors and practices.” “Wrong.”

He stressed that “families in general are required to notice any radical changes that appear in the behavior and practices of their children, with the necessity of health and security education for all through increased lectures and preventive and awareness bulletins provided by the relevant agencies,” stressing “the ability of families to recognize the symptoms of their children’s abuse of any narcotic influences or substances.” Including gas, they may experience muscle or nervous spasms from time to time, and psychological symptoms that include a sudden change in behavior, fluctuating moods, and staying away from useful hobbies such as Exercise, or sick symptoms, including persistent nausea and vomiting, redness around the eyes, emaciation, paleness of the face, headaches, headaches, loss of appetite, and others. Butane gas may also cause explosions and fires, and lead to severe injuries and severe disfigurement of the user’s face and body, and may cause death. ».

For his part, Dr. Mohammed Al-Jinbi, a psychiatrist at the National Rehabilitation Center in Abu Dhabi, warned of the danger of inhaling lighter gas among teenagers, as it causes dangerous health effects on the body’s systems and leads to addiction, such as drugs and psychotropic substances.

Al-Jinbi told “Emirates Today” that “the National Rehabilitation Center received during the past years cases of addiction to lighter gas, whose ages ranged between 16 and 24 years,” noting that “the Center dealt with these cases through specialized treatment and rehabilitation programs, to remove toxins from Their bodies, providing them with recovery skills, and educating them about the health risks resulting from inhaling this gas. The treatment plan depends on the severity of the accompanying symptoms, which vary from person to person.” He pointed out that “the majority of lighter gas inhalers are teenagers, who unconsciously rush to try this gas out of curiosity, the encouragement of bad companions, and the ease of obtaining it, especially since the price of a full container does not exceed four dirhams in the markets.”

He explained that “lighter gas is a volatile substance that contains benzene in its chemical composition. It is a narcotic and psychotropic substance, and habitual inhalation of it leads to addiction, in addition to causing several dangerous health effects, including respiratory system diseases and diseases of the circulatory system (heart). And arteries), disorders of the nervous system, and affects the centers of perception, concentration and memory in the brain, and nerve cells.

Al-Jinbi pointed out that “lighter gas is one of the psychoactive substances that the law has criminalized inhaling and included in the drug law. Therefore, it is important to tighten control by the concerned authorities over the buying and selling of this gas, especially among teenagers, in order to reduce its danger to children’s health.”

Family advisor Issa Al-Maskari stressed the importance of increasing family awareness of the dangers of addiction, and the importance of family control and follow-up of children, to prevent them from falling into the clutches of drugs, explaining that the adolescence stage is one of the most difficult stages to understand and contain, due to its flow, violence, and independence, and the physical physiological changes that occur in it. And psychological and emotional developments, and they have their own characteristics and problems, so this critical stage must be dealt with on scientific and educational foundations, away from attacks and confusion. Hormones in the teenager’s body flow and become agitated, which affects the mood, nervousness, health, and aesthetic state. The psychological state is also exposed to the boiling of irritated feelings and raging feelings, such as shyness, stubbornness, isolation, rebellion, jealousy, and rapid crying. Most of these cases arise due to some educational errors, such as excessive pampering or excessive cruelty.

He called on parents to contain their children and be close to them, to be at the level of their concerns, to fill their emptiness, to include them with love and attention, to be a good role model in their lives, to give them confidence and self-confidence, and to leave them a space of freedom for opinion and expression, away from harsh words, harsh treatment, cold feelings, and rigidity of opinion. , aggressiveness of feeling, and military orders and implementation. The family has its role in spreading love among its members, through guidance, persuasion and education, and before that we offer them our appreciation. And respect, we meet their psychological, mental, emotional and social needs before convincing them of silent materialism and tangible luxuries, advising families to educate their children to prevent all forms of deviations.