They're easy to get and often one of the first drugs children try. Bob Buckalew reports on an alarming trend sweeping the lone star state. And Texas children are abusing them in record numbers. The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse reports inhalant use on the rise among the state's youth. Drug experts say inhalants are often the first drug children try and they usually start around age 12.
Young people seem to be attracted to inhalants because they're accessible.
Harvey Weiss is the Executive Director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition. He says inhalants can be deadly or cause severe brain, organ or nerve damage. Weiss says some of the most used ones include spray paint, nitros oxide, paint thinner, and gasoline.