Inhalant drug abuse investigations

DEFINITION: Form of illegal drug use involving the inhaling of otherwise legal chemicals to obtain a high.

SIGNIFICANCE: Abuse of inhalants is a drug crime, but defining it as such presents a problem because many of the substances typically involved in such abuse are completely legal. Illegal drugs are usually defined as illegal by their chemical makeup and regulatory designation. In the case of inhalant abuse, however, it is not the inhaled substances that are illegal but the ways in which they are used. This makes the investigation of such abuse particularly difficult for law enforcement agencies.

People who misuse inhalants, many of whom are young people, may generally be described as falling into one of three categories: experimenters, intermittent users, or chronic users. Experimenters are those who have used inhalants on only one or a few occasions. Intermittent users use inhalants every once in a while but not on a regular basis. Chronic users are those who use inhalants on a weekly or daily basis; these users may form a psychological or physical dependence on  certain inhaled substances. Inhalant use is known by a number of colloquial terms, including huffing, sniffing, and bagging.

History

Inhalant abuse is common among young people in many countries throughout the world, including Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and the United Kingdom. It has been observed in some regions that have high proportions of young people who are very poor, because the substances involved are readily available to anyone.

Inhalant abuse is known to have been present in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s during Prohibition, when alcohol was illegal, but it was not until the early 1960s that this behavior was perceived as a problem, and law enforcement agencies began making many arrests. A spike in inhalant use was perceived to take place during the mid-1990s, probably owing to a population increase among young teenagers—the age group most likely to use these substances. Because inhalants are not uniformly regulated under federal controlled substance schedules, individual US states have been left to address the issue through varying statutes. Many states have crafted specific statutes regarding inhalant use, but instead of focusing only on penalties for use, the statutes often stress education as a means of prevention.

Forms of Use and Abuse

In the United States, it is estimated that inhalant use is the most common form of drug abuse among ten-, eleven-, and twelve-year-olds, and use may begin as early as third grade (about eight years of age). Most users quit the practice by the time they are twenty years old. Some observers have speculated that inhalant use may lead to the use of harder drugs, but this so-called gateway function of inhalants has not been established empirically.

The substances involved in inhalant abuse are poisonous and pose significant hazards to young people. The danger depends on both the amount that is inhaled and the chemical composition of the substance inhaled. Because the amount inhaled is not well controlled, the danger from inhaling too much substance is significant.

The substances that can be inhaled are almost limitless—anything that is in a liquid, aerosol, or gas form can be used. Commonly abused products include gasoline, kerosene, nail polish remover, glue, felt-tipped markers, lighter fluid, spray paint, and hairspray. Gases that may be inhaled include propane, butane, and nitrous oxide. Inhaling benzene, a component of gasoline, increases the user’s risk of leukemia and lowers immune function. Inhaling propane, found in lighter fluid, can produce serious cardiac effects. Historically, many aerosol propellants, marketed under trade names such as Freon, included chlorofluorocarbons, which were banned in 1978 and completely phased out by the 1990s. On inhalation, these chemicals could cause respiratory obstruction and liver damage. Toluene, found in gasoline and paint thinners, can cause damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys. Nitrous oxide, sometimes referred to as laughing gas, can cause blackouts and cardiac effects, and serious neurological injury with repeated misuse.

Because inhalants replace oxygen in the lungs, asphyxiation, suffocation, convulsions, choking, and coma may result. Death may also result from cardiac arrest if the user experiences a sudden surge in adrenaline while under the influence of inhalants; this phenomenon is known as sudden sniffing death syndrome.

How Investigations Are Conducted

Isolated instances of inhalant abuse are not likely to come to the attention of law enforcement. It is usually only after a community begins to perceive the existence of an inhalant problem—perhaps after one or more users have died—that organized efforts are undertaken to arrest individuals and address the issue. Because most law enforcement agencies place priority on higher-level drug problems, such as trafficking and use of heroin, cocaine, and so-called club drugs, inhalant use is more likely to be approached as a public health problem. Many American communities address the issue of inhalant abuse through education at the middle and high school levels. When law enforcement becomes involved, it is often to break up groups that use inhalants or to address widespread usage in a high school or community.

Law enforcement agencies must approach the investigation of inhalant use in ways that are very different from those used to address other types of drug use. They cannot apprehend upper-level dealers who are bringing large amounts of inhalants into their jurisdictions because there are no such dealers—these substances are readily available in many households, businesses, churches, and schools. Law enforcement authorities cannot even look for evidence of illegal substances, because most inhaled substances are completely legal.

The kinds of evidence available in a case of inhalant abuse may include inhaling paraphernalia, inhaled substances, blood tests, and the suspect’s observable behavior. The suspect’s observable behavior—which may be similar to that of an individual who has used alcohol—is frequently enough for an officer to have reasonable suspicion that a substance has been used. The individual can be arrested and taken into custody. At the police station, the suspect’s blood is taken for toxicology testing and confirmation of inhalant use. The paraphernalia used for inhaling (which may include bags, aerosol cans, bottles, and rags) may contain traces of the inhaled substances, thus indicating that these items have been used for inhalant misuse.

Bibliography

“Chlorofluorocarbon.” ScienceDirect Topics, Elsevier, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/chlorofluorocarbon. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

Jaunch, Edward C. “Inhalants Clinical Presentation.” Medscape, 18 Jan. 2023, emedicine.medscape.com/article/1174630-clinical. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

Jaunch, Edward C. “Inhalants Workup.” Medscape, 18 Jan. 2023, emedicine.medscape.com/article/1174630-workup. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

Julien, Robert M. A Primer of Drug Action: A Comprehensive Guide to the Actions, Uses, and Side Effects of Psychoactive Drugs. 10th ed., Worth, 2005.

Koellhoffer, Tara. Inhalants and Solvents. Chelsea House, 2008.

Kuhn, Cynthia, et al. Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. 2nd ed., W. W. Norton, 2003.

Salloum, Ihsan M., et al. “Disorders Due to Substance Use: Inhalants.” Tasman’s Psychiatry, Springer, 12 Aug. 2023, link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-030-42825-9_162-1. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

United States Drug Enforcement Administration. “The Controlled Substances Act.” DEA.gov, U.S. Department of Justice, www.dea.gov/drug-information/csa. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

Weatherly, Myra. Inhalants. Enslow, 1996.

Weil, Andrew, and Winifred Rosen. From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs. Rev. ed., Houghton Mifflin, 2004.