Worried parents call on Paphos authorities to clamp down on ‘hippy crack’

Worried parents in Paphos are calling on authorities to clamp down on the illegal sale and distribution of nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’ or ‘hippy crack’, which is widely available in bars and clubs in the town’s tourist areas.

According to local teenagers and parents, the recreational inhalation of nitrous oxide is particularly prevalent in bars on Ayiou Antoniou Street (also known as Bar Street) in Kato Paphos during the summer months.

Marcus, a 16-year-old English Cypriot, said that last summer he often frequented the busy entertainment street and started buying laughing gas balloons, egged on by his friends.

“Everyone’s doing it, girls and boys, it’s not a big deal, it’s not like I’m drinking or taking drugs and its fun. My parents have no idea what we are doing and I’m sure they would freak out if they knew,” he said.

When the dangers of inhaling the gas were pointed out to him, he shrugged it off, but said that he might limit his intake in the future.

Nitrous oxide has had significant medical uses over the years, especially in dentistry and surgery, and is known for its anaesthetic and pain reducing effects.

The gas can produce a euphoric high when inhaled.If not handled and administered properly, the gas can cause dizziness and affect the user’s judgement. It can also cause oxygen deprivation and in extreme cases it can cause heart attacks, unconsciousness and death from a lack of oxygen. Regular use can lead to B12 deficiency and serious nerve damage and can also depress the formation of white blood cells.

Nikos Tsappis of Paphos police told the Sunday Mail that, to the best of his knowledge, no successful prosecutions for the illegal sale or supply of the gas have occurred in Paphos to date, despite the fact that a licence to sell nitrous oxide is only granted for medical purposes.

“It is a crime to sell nitrous oxide without a relevant licence and if found guilty it carries a two year prison sentence or a fine of up to 2,500 euros. However, I don’t know of any such prosecutions here,” he said.

However, according to a police spokesman for the central office in Nicosia, statistics show that a growing number of arrests have been made in Famagusta in connection with the supply of the gas since 2015.

“In 2015, we had 12 cases, in 2016 fifteen and then 17 in 2017. These were made according to the criminal code and article 236 which includes reckless and negligent acts.”

He added that although the sale and supply of the gas without a license is illegal and carries certain punishments, it is only classed as a ‘misdemeanour’.

There have been numerous reported instances of the sale and possession of hippy crack in Ayia Napa getting out of control in the UK tabloids and a you tube video reportedly shows a British holidaymaker in Ayia Napa becoming hysterical after inhaling a massive balloon apparently containing laughing gas.

In the UK in 2016, laughing gas was made illegal – apart from for certain permitted uses including cookery – under new laws banning all kinds of so-called legal highs after media reported a string of 17 related deaths.

A twenty year old Paphos resident who only wished to be identified as Margo, said that she has been using balloons for the last two years, and despite getting bad headaches the following day after every use, she has yet to stop.

“I know that they can be dangerous and I’m not like some of the idiots that overdo it. I’ve seen some people do double and triples [where three canisters of the gas are used]. I’ve seen them pass out on Bar Street, they are silly for doing it.”

One worried father, who spoke to the Sunday Mail but wished to remain anonymous, is aghast at his teenage daughters’ apparent blasé attitude towards the drug, which she said is sold for only 2 euros a pop at many bars in Paphos, after being pumped into balloons which are then inhaled.

“My daughter is 17 and recently went out with a couple of friends for the evening and told me that they were ‘doing balloons’. I asked her what they were and she explained. She wasn’t very sure of what was in them and they were being sold at a well-known bar on Bar Street.”

Another teenager said that promotion girls walk around the bars in Paphos’ main tourist strip wearing belts strapped to their waists holding canisters which are used to fill up the balloons. They approach youngsters offering their illegal wares, some are two for five euros, other are 3.50, it depends on the size, he said.

“One of my friends’ did five in a row and he collapsed. It was a bit scary, but he was OK, apart from a bad headache for a few days,” he said.

Dr. Antonis Nicandrou advised young people to stay away from using the gas and said that although it has its uses, this is under strict medical supervision.

“It could be very dangerous to take recreationally and I would stress not to do this.”