JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Starting Thursday, smoke shops, gas stations and other retailers can no longer sell nitrous oxide.
The products go by many names like Galaxy Gas or Nitro Whip, but they’re all selling the same thing: Nitrous oxide - a gas people may know from the dentist’s office as laughing gas.
But Mike McCormick with Florida Poison Control argued nitrous oxide is no laughing matter.
“It’s sort of like you’re strangling yourself from the inside. This makes it so your body can’t absorb oxygen correctly,” said McCormick.
Nitrous oxide products have been sold for years, often in the form of mini gas canisters, and are inhaled by users to get high.
They’re often called “whippets” by recreational users and their use among teens and young adults has become a growing concern.
“They don’t have big giant warnings on them. I think people get the misconception that because they’re sold over the counter they must be safe,” said McCormick.
Florida doesn’t specifically track deaths caused by nitrous oxide, but national stats collected by the Journal of the American Medical Association found deaths have steadily climbed from just 23 in 2010 to 156 in 2023.
A Central Florida 29-year-old, Meg Caldwell, lost her life due to nitrous oxide abuse in 2024, and her death became a catalyst for change.
This year, Florida lawmakers passed Meg’s Law, which outlaws the sale of nitrous oxide by smoke shops, gas stations and other retailers. It makes violations a 3rd-degree felony.
McCormick argued it’s a good first step, but noted nitrous oxide is only one of several inhalants commonly abused and easily available on store shelves.
“What it does do is restrict some of the very easy access. So, it is going to make it more difficult for people who want to use this as an illicit substance and that’s what they’re essentially doing,” said McCormick.
McCormick recommended parents talk to their children, especially those around college age, about the risks associated with inhalant abuse.
He urged parents to emphasize, just because you can buy something legally in a store, doesn’t make it safe.
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