Tackling volatile substance abuse in Scotland
a training course for the social care workforce

Course content: Risks

Legal risks

VSA in itself is not an offence…

However, the supply (or sale) of any product to a person believed to be under the age of 18, knowing that they are going to inhale it for the purpose of abuse is an offence under the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985.

Acquisition crimes

Volatile substances are easily obtained and so for the most part crimes related to acquisition are not very common. High levels of retailer awareness may limit access and products may have been removed from around the home or heavy users may be limited by funds needed to maintain their use. For some young people, theft may also be seen as a part of the excitement of the whole experience.

Crimes following the misuse of solvents

Re-Solv has many hundreds of crimes on its files where VSA has been cited in court as contributing to an individual's behaviour. These incidents range from assault to murder. In many cases, the individual's behaviour differs from their normal patterns. In 'The Review of Evidence Relating To Volatile Substance Abuse in Scotland',¹ a recently published research project undertaken by Kate Skellington Orr for the Substance Misuse Research Programme within the Scottish Government, it is stated that within young offenders institutions in the UK no data was identified that specifically reported levels of inhalant abuse. It appears that this data is not routinely collected either for young people or older prison populations. The Scottish Prison Service Prisoner Survey does not, for example, include questions relating to inhalants, only to illegal drug misuse. Work by Howard and Jenson (1999),² involving interviews with young people on probation found prevalence rates of 3% for current inhalant abuse, 20% for use in the last year and 34% for lifetime use. The research also found that convicted youths with current or previous inhalant experience reported significantly less family support and cohesiveness than non-inhaling peers, as well as demonstrating lower self-esteem, lifetime thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts, neighbourhood gang activity, peer and parental substance abuse, intentions to engage in illegal behaviour, substance-related criminality, and substance abuse.

Risks — key points

• Sudden death is the primary risk from VSA
• Heart failure (cardiac arrhythmia) can be triggered by fear or excitement while intoxicated. It is important to keep calm
• Most people who stop using solvents appear to suffer no long-term effects
• Long-term users may suffer other medical effects, especially those who use adhesives
• VSA affects the quality of young people's lives in other real ways, including making them more vulnerable to unplanned criminal behaviour whilst intoxicated or rejection by peers or family