RANKIN INLET
Residents in Rankin Inlet are raising alarm bells over teenagers huffing propane to get high.

Sgt. Lorne Morrison addresses council during a discussion in which concerns were raised over youth huffing propane in the community. Morrison said it is very difficult to police the dangerous practice. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

In recent weeks people have been taking to Facebook and local radio to warn the community to be on the lookout for people huffing after youth were observed engaging in the highly dangerous practice on several occasions.

One woman on Facebook said her cabin had been broken into and that the only thing that was stolen was three tanks of propane. Several days later she said she saw a young boy huffing under a staircase. During a July 25 council meeting, Coun. Martha Hickes brought the concerns of those residents forward.

"People are going on the radio and saying underage boys are sniffing propane. I've read it on Facebook too. What are we doing about this?" she asked.

Sgt. Lorne Morrison, who was in attendance at the meeting, said he was aware that youth had been huffing but only because he read about it on Facebook.

"It's never been reported to the police. If they do we'll certainly go," he said.

"If we hear about it two days after there's nothing we can do."

Morrison said policing the huffing of household items like propane, gasoline or paint is difficult to police because, unlike drugs such as cocaine or marijuana, it is not illegal to possess them.

"The problem for us is it's not against the law to have propane," he said.

According to the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, huffing solvent like propane can lead to damage to liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, bones and blood.

It can also lead someone to die after a single use as a result of suffocation or "sudden sniffing death."

"Prolonged sniffing of highly concentrated inhalants can cause a rapid and irregular heartbeat, leading to death from heart failure.

"Huffing has been around forever ..."

"Sudden sniffing death can occur after only one sniffing session, and when stress or strenuous exercise follows several deep inhalations."

Last year a Pond Inlet teen died after huffing propane. A statement from coroner Padma Suramala read: "Huffing propane, sniffing gas, drinking paint thinners and antifreeze is dangerous to health and can cause immediate death."

Sam Tutanuak, regional director of counselling and support services for the Kivalliq, acknowledged that huffing is a problem but that it isn't a new phenomenon.

"Huffing has been around forever, just like smoking or chew."

Like the RCMP, Tutanuak said Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services (KCSS) does not have a mandate to intervene when people are suffering from any kind of addiction, whether it be alcohol or propane.

He said all the counselling that KCSS offers is either voluntary or court-mandated.

"We don't go chasing people who are huffing," he said.

Tutanuak said he was torn about the best way to prevent children from huffing.

"The more you advertise it the more you're enticing kids to do that. The flip side of that is if you don't talk about it you're basically handing over a loaded gun," Tutanuak said.

Even though the police do not have the legal power to prevent the possession of propane Morrison said if they catch youths in the act, or if someone called in an incident, they would intervene.

"If we see any kids with bottles of propane, absolutely we're going to stop them." he said.

"I would probably take the propane away and bring them back to their parents."

Adding to the RCMP's difficulties is the fact that they have been understaffed for more than a year.

The detachment is supposed to have seven members but currently only has four.

"So we're running at about half capacity," he said.

After the meeting Hickes told Kivalliq News she would likely raise the issue at another council meeting to see if something could be done to help those who huff.

"We cannot just watch it and let it go. These are our kids."

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