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Coalition launches ‘Southwest Detroit Whippet Wipe Out Campaign’ to address abuse of nitrous oxide

Campaign volunteers have collected nearly 25,000 empty whippet cartridges

Residents are concerned about people coming to Riverside Skatepark in Detroit and getting high using “whippits.”

DETROIT – A campaign has been launched to address the use of nitrous oxide (whippets) in Detroit.

The use of whippets has resulted in significant littering and negative health implications for those who use them.

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READ: Hundreds of ‘whippit’ canisters left at Riverside Skatepark

In the past four weeks, the Southwest Detroit Whippet Wipe Out Campaign volunteers have collected around 25,000 empty whippet cartridges from parks and streets in the 48209 and 48210 zip codes.

“As a community, we have a growing concern about the volume of whippets being abused by residents who are breathing in nitrous oxide from a whipped cream dispenser to get high,” said The Ideal Group Chairman and CEO Frank Venegas Jr. “This behavior can be incredibly dangerous -- and even fatal in some instances -- and creates a public safety issue when thousands of empty cartridges are littered in our streets and parking lots. The small cartridges get in our tires and cause flats and blow-outs and is a danger to pedestrians, cyclists and those traveling on scooters. We formed this coalition to engage and educate our community about the public health and safety issues that are created by using whippets.”

The campaign is focused on providing community awareness and access to nitrous oxide abuse health education information.

READ: More local news coverage

Who is involved with the coalition?

  • Candle Inc.
  • City of Detroit
  • City of Detroit Councilmember Raquel Casteñeda-Lopez
  • Clark Park Coalition
  • Detroit Cristo Rey High School
  • Detroit Fire Department
  • Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation
  • Detroit Police Department
  • Ferrous Processing, Inc.
  • LA SED
  • Marathon Petroleum Refinery – Detroit
  • Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang
  • Southwest Detroit Business Association
  • Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision
  • The Ideal Group
  • Urban Neighborhood Initiatives

About the Author
Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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