Toughest 'nang' rules in Australia to protect WA kids

Toughest 'nang' rules in Australia to protect WA kids

• Cook Government to restrict retail sales of nitrous oxide cannisters or 'nangs'
• Purchase of 'nangs' limited to registered food and beverage businesses
• Toughest rules in the country to address significant harms of misuse
• New regulations to be implemented in the second half of 2024

The Cook Government will implement the toughest regulations in the country to protect young people from the misuse of nitrous oxide gas or 'nangs'.

The State Government will amend the Medicines and Poisons Regulations 2016 to ban the sale of nitrous oxide cannisters to consumers, amid growing concerns over misuse by young people.

From the second half of 2024, supply of 'nangs' will be restricted to registered food and beverage businesses.

Under the regulations, small ten-gram nitrous oxide cannisters will only be accessible to:

• registered food businesses;
• select businesses with a liquor licence; and
• other persons approved by the Department of Health.

The new regulations will also prohibit the sale of large nitrous oxide gas cannisters in WA, which have no legitimate food purpose.

Buyers will need to show evidence of their registered food or beverage business when purchasing nitrous oxide gas cannisters and suppliers will be required to present the evidence to authorities on request, to prove compliance with the new regulations.

The new regulations will not impact medical use of nitrous oxide, which is already heavily regulated under WA law.

Recreational use and abuse of nitrous oxide poses significant health risks including permanent brain and spinal cord damage.

Concerningly, the WA Poisons Information Centre identified an upward trend in community calls regarding nitrous oxide, with 50 calls in 2023.

In 2020, there were 22 presentations to WA emergency departments related to nitrous oxide - including 8 patients with degeneration of the spinal cord.

Comments attributed to Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:

"We are listening to parents and clinicians and will do everything we can to protect children and young people from the dangers of nitrous oxide gas.

"The changes strike a balance, allowing registered food and beverage businesses to purchase small amounts of nitrous oxide, while making it harder to purchase for recreational misuse.

"Recreational use and abuse of nitrous oxide poses significant health risks including permanent brain and spinal cord damage.

"Parents and community members have also raised significant concerns about the increase in used cannisters left littering our parks and playground."