People’s needs are different at night than during the day. And as it is in the market economy: Where there is a need, there is also an offer. For example, for the cravings that come over you after four beers or half a joint (you can write that now). It’s best satisfied with kebab or those mini salami rolls you can get from vending machines.
There are a lot of things there that seem rather dubious as quick-to-hand items during the day, but make perfect sense at night. Asian packet soups, condoms or laughing gas. This is now available in snack machines in Regensburg. Anyone over 18 can buy three cartridges for five euros. The official recommendation is that these are rarely used to froth cream, although you can do very crazy things with cream at night.
Most of the time, however, the laughing gas flows into the person’s body via a balloon, which then becomes a different person. Half a minute of laughter, red head, loud giggles, that’s how you can see it on the Internet. A consumer describes tunnel vision and sounds with echoes. And then? Everything is gone again, says the consumer. Addiction counselors say something different.
It’s not like young people have to secretly pass balloons all the time once they’ve inhaled laughing gas. The risk of addiction is low, says an expert Central Bavarian newspaper. Only: dizziness, headache, fainting. It can happen if you pull for too long. And with regular and large consumption there is a risk of hallucinations and, according to another media report, even paralysis. For comparison, you can now look at the long-term consequences of alcohol: liver cirrhosis, increased risk of cancer, depression. Or you can take a look at the Netherlands: Nitrous oxide has been banned there since 2023 because it has become the number one drug among students.
In Regensburg, the youth welfare office pointed out “the problem” to the operator of the machine. It is unlikely that he will discontinue the cartridges; they are selling quite well, he said regensburg digital. And even if you do, you can find nitrous oxide in every supermarket.