fad among young people
63 fatal accidents in three years: Netherlands ban nitrous oxide
A street vendor sells balloons filled with nitrous oxide (stock image)
© Annette Birschel / DPA
The Netherlands will ban the possession and sale of nitrous oxide from 2023. It will be included on the list of prohibited intoxicants. In recent years, the gas had developed into a fashionable drug, especially among young people.
The Netherlands put nitrous oxide on the list of prohibited intoxicants. From January 1, 2023, the possession and sale of the gas belonging to the group of nitrogen oxides will be prohibited, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday evening in The Hague. Exceptions apply to medical and technical purposes. Doctors are allowed to use the gas as a light anesthetic. And private individuals still buy small cartridges filled with nitrous oxide, for example for whipped cream dispensers.
Abuse as an intoxicant: Netherlands ban nitrous oxide
According to the Ministry, the abuse of nitrous oxide as an intoxicant has increased significantly in recent years. Studies have shown that it is the most commonly used drug among schoolchildren. However, nitrous oxide has “major health risks,” the ministry warned. The number of serious traffic accidents in which the driver inhaled nitrous oxide has also increased sharply. As the “Guardian” reports, the Dutch government has counted more than 1,800 of these accidents in the past three years – 63 of them fatal.
Young people in particular inhale laughing gas with balloons. Most users report that they inhale two or three balloons in the evening. But researchers also report that some consumed the gas from dozens of balloons each evening. The gas induces a brief high but can cause nerve damage. Especially after large quantities, neurologists also found severe paralysis up to paraplegia.
The police and local authorities had been calling for such a ban for years. The ban allows the police to intervene if they discover large gas cylinders in cars.
Source: DPA, Guardians