HLS 16RS-554 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 24
BY REPRESENTATIVES BERTHELOT, HOFFMANN, AND POPE
PUBLIC HEALTH: Urges the office of behavioral health to raise awareness of addictive
disorders involving abuse of inhalants
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the office of behavioral health of the Department of Health and
3 Hospitals to raise awareness of addictive disorders involving abuse of inhalants and
4 to make efforts to reduce the prevalence of inhalant abuse in this state.
5 WHEREAS, the effects of substance abuse disorders can be devastating for families
6and communities; and
7 WHEREAS, the costs associated with substance abuse disorders are immense, and
8include financial costs borne directly by the public in areas such as criminal justice and
9public health, as well as the immeasurable human cost of lives that are lost too soon due to
10these disorders; and
11 WHEREAS, less well-known than the harms caused by abuse of alcohol, prescription
12medications, and illegal drugs are the dangers associated with the abuse of inhalants, which
13are volatile substances that users inhale to induce mind-altering effects; and
14 WHEREAS, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National
15Institutes of Health, although other abused drugs can be inhaled, the term "inhalant" is
16reserved for a variety of substances including but not limited to solvents, aerosols, gases, and
17nitrites that are rarely, if ever, taken by any other route of administration; and
18 WHEREAS, most inhalants are breathed in rapidly through the nose, mouth, or both
19in a practice known as "huffing"; and
20 WHEREAS, inhalants produce a variety of serious short-term and long-term health
21effects, and in some cases can be lethal, as high concentrations of these substances can cause
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HCR NO. 24
1death from suffocation, and inhaling the highly concentrated chemicals in solvents or aerosol
2sprays can also directly cause heart failure within minutes; and
3 WHEREAS, gas duster, also known as "canned air" or just "duster", which is
4designed for cleaning of electronic equipment and other sensitive devices, can be particularly
5addictive due to the euphoria users feel from the effects of the substance's main chemical
6compound, difluoroethane (a refrigerant); however, while many users assume that the worst
7effect of duster is the possibility of passing out for a short time after huffing the substance,
8there is also a real danger of the user dying almost immediately from acute hypoxia
9(displacement of oxygen from the lungs) or from cardiac arrest pursuant to actual freezing
10of lung tissue; and
11 WHEREAS, studies indicate that fifteen to twenty percent of eighth graders - nearly
12one in every five schoolchildren in this grade - have tried inhalants; and
13 WHEREAS, the problem of inhalant abuse is of special concern because most
14substances that can be abused as inhalants are legal and widely available; and
15 WHEREAS, the National Institute on Drug Abuse cites early identification and
16intervention as the best ways to stop inhalant abuse before it causes serious health
17consequences or death; and
18 WHEREAS, due to the abundance of specialized expertise among staff in the office
19of behavioral health of the Department of Health and Hospitals, this office is uniquely
20qualified to lead an effort to raise awareness of the effects of addictive disorders such as
21abuse of inhalants which can be lethal, but are insufficiently understood currently among the
22general population of this state.
23 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
24urge and request the office of behavioral health of the Department of Health and Hospitals
25to engage in any efforts to raise awareness of addictive disorders involving abuse of
26inhalants as deemed necessary and proper by the secretary of the department and the
27assistant secretary of the office.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of behavioral health is hereby
29authorized to conduct public awareness efforts designed to publicize the dangers of inhalants
30and thereby reduce the prevalence of inhalant abuse in this state.
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HCR NO. 24
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such public awareness efforts may include but
2shall not be limited to public service announcements, information kits and brochures, and
3provision of information concerning the dangers of inhalant abuse on an internet website.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution and its resulting public
5awareness efforts shall be dedicated to the memory of the late Jordan Lambert Soileau of
6Denham Springs, Louisiana.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
8to the family of Jordan Lambert Soileau, the assistant secretary of the office of behavioral
9health, and the secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 24 Original 2016 Regular Session Berthelot
Urges and requests the office of behavioral health of the Dept. of Health and Hospitals to
raise awareness of addictive disorders involving abuse of inhalants and to make efforts to
reduce the prevalence of inhalant abuse.
Dedicates public awareness efforts resulting from this Resolution to the memory of the late
Jordan Lambert Soileau of Denham Springs.
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