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WA premier throws support behind blanket ban on 'nangs'
WA Premier Mark McGowan has supported calls to ban "nangs" after the addictive gas left a young Perth woman unable to walk.
Molly Day, 19, remains in hospital with nitrous oxide poisoning and her road to recovery is expected to be long.
Her family has called for tighter restrictions on the sale of the gas, which can currently be sold to anyone who is over the age of 16.
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"That might mean that you can't have cream that you spray out of canisters … but it does make a bit of sense if this is how they're being used by young people," McGowan said.
Deputy Premier Roger Cook blamed "predatory retail strategies for "driving the misuse of nangs in our community".
A government taskforce has been reviewing the effects of nitrous oxide since 2020.
So far it has implemented mandatory warning labels on canisters and banned the sale of the gas to teenagers 15 and under.
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"There's a very real concern about how accessible this product is for young teenagers," Opposition Leader Libby Metam said.
Perth is the nang capital of the country, with young people chasing the high at a much more extreme rate than any other city in Australia, according to a recent report by the University of New South Wales.
"There's certainly massive health risks in relation to nangs," WA police commissioner Col Blanch said.
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