Delhi: Government sniffs out whitener addiction among teens

Soon, a student below 18 years of age may not be able to purchase stationery items such as correction fluid (whiteners), bottle thinners (diluters) used in school laboratories, vulcanised solution (sulochans) and glues that are easily available at any stationery store.

The Delhi government is mulling a ban on production and sale of these items freely to school students until they are accompanied by their parents or a letter from school authorities approving the need to purchase them.

Dr Mrinalini Darswal, project director of Delhi State AIDS Control Society, told Mail Today: "As per orders of the Juvenile Justice Board, the Delhi government has been directed to issue a ban on sale of correction fluid, bottle thinners and vulcanised solution with immediate effect to children below the age of 18 years unless the child is accompanied by parents or guardians or has a letter from school authorities signifying their assent to purchase the same."

'INHALANT ADDICTION THE FIRST STEP'

"It is the first step in children becoming drug addicts and it has been studied that children always start with these substances. Inhalant addiction is the first step as these substances are available without any restriction and schoolgoing children can easily access them. Then comes tobacco and alcohol and thereafter, hard-drugs such as smack and heroine," she said.

Also, teachers and school authorities have been ordered to keep a close watch on students using these substances for need and have been asked to minimise their use as much as possible, she added.

These items would be permitted sale only in the form of pens or similar devices that allow limited amounts of chemicals to come out when used with mandatory warning on the application devices regarding the effects on health on inhalation of vapour/ consumption of the chemicals contained therein.

The government has brought a notification in this regard, a copy of which is with MAIL TODAY. "It has been reportedly being widely misused by school and street children respectively as intoxicating substances/drugs by inhaling them to get stimulating effects like drugs," it read. It may be noted that there are around 70,000 street children in the habit of consuming drugs. This was revealed in a survey done by AIIMS and the state government's women and child development ministry.

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