Children are doing nangs at school: How did nitrous oxide become so prevalent?

Daniel Jones died after consuming nitrous oxide, commonly known as "nangs". (ABC News: Chris Gillette) Link copiedShareShare articleWhen Tessa Jones thinks about her son Daniel she remembers a hard-working young man who had finally begun to enjoy the rewards of years of effort. The 36-year-old Brisbane-based fruit shop owner had paid off his business loan, was planning a long-awaited holiday and had a bucket list of experiences he wanted to tick off. "He was very loud, very boisterous," Ms Jones said. "He was the child I never had to ask twice to do anything." In February this year Ms Jones found her son dead in his bedroom, that handwritten bucket list in the same room, alongside the materials that led to his death. Daniel's death certificate records the cause as "plastic bag and nitrous oxide asphyxia". Known colloquially as "nangs" or "laughing gas", nitrous oxide has long been used as an anaesthetic in hospitals and by dentists, and in commercial kitchens to whip cream. Daniel, a father of five, used nangs for neither purpose. He had taken to using large tanks of nitrous oxide to get high. Recreational use of nitrous oxide is believed to be growing in popularity. (ABC News: Craig Hansen) Nitrous oxide can legally be sold for legitimate uses such as whipping cream but it is illegal to sell it for recreational use. The typically short high and legal status of the chemical compound has doctors and researchers warning its recreational use has become increasingly widespread, aided by easy access to large canisters sold online and delivered to homes. In most states you can buy nangs legally over the counter at tobacconists and in some convenience stores with little difficulty. Western Australia has strict rules around who can buy nitrous oxide, and South Australia has restrictions on the hours it can be purchased over the counter. For Ms Jones, the speed at which the substance took hold of her son's life is difficult to comprehend. "I feel like they've stolen my son's life." There are concerns that nitrous oxide is too easy to buy. (ABC News: Craig Hansen) Data from the Australian Border Force (ABF) shows imports of nitrous oxide have surged over the past decade. In 2015 Australia imported 249 tonnes, by 2025 that figure had climbed to almost 3,800 tonnes, a 15-fold increase. The customs value of those imports increased from about $2 million to $19 million over the same period. Researchers and clinicians say it is difficult to know exactly how much of that increase is linked to recreational use because Australia lacks comprehensive data on nitrous oxide consumption. Associate Professor Jacqui Cameron, a social work researcher at the University of Wollongong, who has studied nitrous oxide use among young people, said the absence of national prevalence data was a major problem. Jacqui Cameron has studied nitrous oxide use among young people. (ABC News: Laurence Curson) "We are not really aware, particularly with young people, how much they're using because we're not asking that question," Ms Cameron told 7.30. Her research found many young people did not view nitrous oxide as a dangerous drug. "They talked about the fact that it was a safe drug because it wasn't illegal and because it was so easy to get," she said. Some participants described using nangs on the way to parties or alongside alcohol and other drugs. "The high is quick acting, so it goes quite quickly," Ms Cameron said. "They would do one after the other to get a continuous high." She told 7.30 she is hearing from drug and alcohol workers that they are being used by some children while at school. Sam Bramman became addicted nitrous oxide. (ABC News: Laurence Curson) For grounds-keeper Sam Bramman, what began as experimentation quickly spiralled into addiction. The now 21-year-old first tried nitrous oxide at a party in 2023. "I quickly became addicted," Mr Bramman told 7.30. At the height of his use his days revolved around obtaining and consuming nangs. "I would be thinking, 'When's my next hit going to be?'" His addiction culminated in a prolonged psychotic episode that saw him flee his Sydney home in a state of extreme paranoia. "I got in the car to go to the Gold Coast because I thought the police were after me," he said. Sam Brammen says nitrous oxide "had taken control of my whole life". (ABC News: Craig Hansen) He inhaled nitrous oxide while driving and lost consciousness at the wheel. "I was on the wrong side of the road, on the highway." He was later involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric ward. After 18 months of recovery he is now campaigning for tighter controls and greater public awareness of the risks associated with nitrous oxide. That you can buy nitrous oxide over the counter in New South Wales, with few questions asked, concerns him. Federal laws state that it is illegal to sell nitrous oxide if you know it's going to be used for recreational purposes. However, when 7.30 attended several

Children are doing nangs at school: How did nitrous oxide become so prevalent?

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