What is "inhalant"

Inhalant \In*hal"ant\, a. [Cf. F. inhalant.] Inhaling; used for inhaling.

Inhalant \In*hal"ant\, n. An apparatus also called an inhaler (which see); also, that which is to be inhaled, especially a medicine taken by inhalation.

1825 (adj.), c.1830 (n.)., from Latin inhalantem, present participle of inhalare (see inhale).

a. intended for inhaling n. something, especially a medication, that is inhaled

1. adj. used in or intended for inhaling; "available in oral or inhalant forms"

2. n. something that is inhaled

3. a medication to be taken by inhaling it [syn: inhalation]

Inhalants are a broad range of intoxicative drugs whose gases or volatile vapors are breathed in via the nose or mouth. They are taken by room temperature volatilization or from a pressurized container (e.g., nitrous oxide), and do not include drugs that are sniffed after burning or heating. For example, amyl nitrite and toluene – the solvent used in contact cement and model airplane glue – are considered inhalants, but tobacco, cannabis, and crack are not, even though the latter are also inhaled (as smoke).

While some inhalant drugs are used for medical purposes, as in the case of nitrous oxide (a dental anxiolytic), this article focuses on inhalant use of household and industrial chemicals, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. These products are used as recreational drugs for their intoxicating effect. According to a 1995 report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the most serious inhalant abuse occurs among children and teens who "...live on the streets completely without family ties." Inhalant users inhale vapor or aerosol propellant gases using plastic bags held over the mouth or by breathing from a solvent-soaked rag or an open container. The practices are known colloquially as "sniffing", "huffing" or "bagging".

The effects of inhalants range from an alcohol-like intoxication and intense euphoria to vivid hallucinations, depending on the substance and the dose. Some inhalant users are injured due to the harmful effects of the solvents or gases or due to other chemicals used in the products that they are inhaling. As with any recreational drug, users can be injured due to dangerous behavior while they are intoxicated, such as driving under the influence. In some cases, users have died from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), pneumonia, cardiac failure or arrest, or aspiration of vomit. Brain damage is typically seen with chronic long-term use as opposed to short-term exposure.

Even though many inhalants are legal, there have been legal actions taken in some jurisdictions to limit access by minors. While solvent glue is normally a legal product, a Scottish court has ruled that supplying glue to children is illegal if the store knows the children intend to abuse the glue. In the US, thirty-eight of 50 states have enacted laws making various inhalants unavailable to those under the age of 18, or making inhalant use illegal.