New Michigan laws to regulate whippets goes into effect in June
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Small nitrous oxide canisters called whippets will have new regulations next month in Michigan.
In off-label use, whippets can give a user a very short high.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the use of these inhalants can cause dizziness and impair a person's motor skills. Long-term use can result in a major impact on your neurological system and organs.
"It's safe for making whipped cream. It is not safe for inhaling," said Sylvia Gucken with the Whippet Wipeout Campaign.
Gucken said she has seen these whippets grow in popularity since the pandemic because of the sheer number of canisters left behind on the streets.
"In [a] six-week period, about eight or nine people picked up over 25,000 whippets, and it was not hard," she said.
Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham also noted the uptick due to what he said was "because of the ease of access."
The governor has already signed a set of bills that aim at this dangerous usage and go into effect on June 10. People and business owners found selling whippets for recreational use could face a misdemeanor charge with up to 90 days in prison and a $5,000 fine, or both.
"It is our hope that the signing of this legislation into law will help prevent this abuse and raise awareness about the harmful effects caused by whippets," Wickersham said.
Gucken says this new legislation won't be a cure-all.
"People like the high, but they don't understand that they're playing with their bodies' neurological chemistry and that there could be really detrimental results that you have to live with for the rest of your life," she said. "That's the message that I think we have to get out there. So in that respect, I think the law will help us tremendously because now we have a tool that we can use to help educate our retailers and our communities."