Choosing to do journalism in college has been one of the most fun and unique experiences of my life. While many of my peers have found their passion in reporting, these four years have helped me to discovered that my passion lies behind the scenes in the production side of the industry. My interest in production blossomed after working with the Liberty Design Team for a very short time, this is when I got my first little taste of the creativity, organisation, and collaboration that goes into producing. That encouraged me to choose Print as my major for the Intermedia project and take on the role of Production Editor for Pulse Magazine, which received two nominations for the National Student Media awards; one for Magazine of the year and one for Design and Layout of the year. During this major I have had the opportunity to develop my design and communication skills. My hopes for my future in journalism are to build a career in journalism production and hopefully work on more amazing projects like Pulse magazine.
Legal High No Laughing Matter
Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as “laughing gas” or “fast gas”, has been popping up across Ireland in recent years and becoming more of an issue. Small silver bullets and larger blue canisters have been littering parks, estates, and streets. The use of the gas increasing shows just how normalised the drug has become for young people. Despite the use of the gas being viewed as a harmless short high, medical professionals and addiction workers have warned about the serious health risks of inhaling the gas. In an interview with Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward, who has been campaigning for tighter legislation since 2020, he shared how the gases use is becoming more popular. Ward explained that hospitals, particularly Tallaght Hospital, have seen an increase in people presenting with neurological conditions linked to nitrous oxide use, while younger teenagers are increasingly seeking adolescent addiction support services. Ward shared that although nitrous oxide has legitimate uses, like in the medical and catering industries, the accessibility of the product has allowed it to become an issue across Ireland.
Mark also discussed the proposed legislation which he and his colleagues introduced in 2025 which would regulate and license the sale of nitrous oxide. While campaigners believe legislation is important, Ward insisted that awareness and education are equally necessary to tackle the issue. Nitrous oxide continues to be treated as a harmless party drug. However, the long-term health effects and rising number of hospital cases suggest that Ireland’s response still has a lot of catching up to do.
