Hayden Eastmond-Mein: NZ Drug Foundation spokesperson on the Government's planned crackdown on nangs - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Government's crackdown on the misuse of nitrous oxide appears to target the areas of most harm. 

The gas is increasingly becoming a health risk - particularly when it is inhaled in high quantities. 

Imports of the gas will soon need approval from the Director-General of Health, while large canisters, also known as nangs, will automatically be classified as psychoactive substances.

The Drug Foundation's Hayden Eastmond-Mein says these canisters are the biggest issue. 

"Historically, nitrous oxide has been relatively low-harm in terms of drugs, but that was based on the kind of classic, smaller canisters that people might have seen." 

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