In late 2024, I wrote that one legacy of the Biden-Harris administration was the expansion of illegal drug selection to include particularly nasty substances intended for America’s youth.
The specific example I cited was the emerging “laughing gas” market.
The colorless gas can be found in cans of whipped cream and other common household items. Nitrous oxide is also sold in cartridges or canisters over the counter, and can be found frequently in vape shops. One brand that is particularly referenced in videos by nitrous oxide users is “Galaxy Gas.”Though the material is technically legal to buy, recreational use of nitrous oxide is not legal. And its sale to minors is completely illegal.The 2021 Global Drug Survey also lists it as the 13th most popular recreational drug in the world. The desire of young Americans to escape realities in today’s economic environment, paired with their hopes of being social media stars, has led to making the recreational inhalation of nitrous oxide becoming even more prevalent.
Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning against the recreational use and inhalation of nitrous oxide products, commonly known as “laughing gas.” This warning came in response to an increase in reports of adverse events related to the misuse of these products.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on Friday that advised consumers against inhaling nitrous oxide products such as Galaxy Gas, Baking Bad, Whip-it! and Miami Magic.Recreational use of nitrous oxide as a party drug has long been prevalent, but whipped cream charger products such as Galaxy Gas have recently found a young and enthusiastic user base. Experimentation with an intentional misuse of the product has developed into a popular subgenre on social media, with widely shared videos of teenagers inhaling the gas from tubelike canisters of flavors like strawberry cream, tropical punch and vanilla cupcake. The videos have collected millions of views on TikTok, X and YouTube, despite attempts to limit searches for the product.The name Galaxy Gas has caught on as a generic shorthand for these products, which the F.D.A.’s warning also says includes MassGass, Cosmic Gas, Hotwhip and InfusionMax. A wave of public concern has risen about the health dangers of these products, which are often sold in loud and colorful packaging that their critics say is appealing to teenagers and children. The F.D.A.’s advisory said the products could be purchased “at retailers, including, but not limited to: Amazon.com, eBay, Walmart, and at smoke/vape shops and gas stations.”
The FDA said it has seen an increase in cases of people consuming nitrous oxide, which can lead to several health problems…all of which I noted in my original report. The agency also indicated teens were most at risk for becoming addicted to this substance.
Abnormal blood counts, loss of consciousness, paralysis and psychiatric disturbances including delusions, hallucinations and paranoia are among the more serious ailments described by the FDA.Regular users may experience “prolonged neurological effects, including spinal cord or brain damage,” the FDA said…..”Teens are especially vulnerable to these dangers, as their brains are still developing, making them more susceptible to the harmful effects of nitrous oxide,” the Addicton Center said on its website. “Moreover, the ease of access to whipped cream canisters at home or in stores contributes to the rising trend, increasing the potential for abuse.”
I would like to note that last month, a class action lawsuit was initiated against Galaxy Gas and several smoke shops that sell these products. The lawsuit was filed by the family of Margaret Caldwell, a 29-year-old woman from Florida who died after struggling with a prolonged addiction to nitrous oxide.
Filed Thursday in state court in Orange County, Florida, by the family of a woman who died after what relatives said was a yearslong addiction to the gas canisters, the lawsuit accuses manufacturers and smoke shops of exploiting a legal loophole that allows them to sell nitrous oxide canisters if they are marketed as a culinary tool rather than an inhalant. The gas is most commonly used to make whipped cream.Nonetheless, the products are sold in large packages labeled and decorated “so as to encourage their use through inhalation, and distributed through smoke shops, to further facilitate their use as recreational drugs, rather than cooking utensils,” reads the lawsuit. “This presents a mortal danger to consumers’ health.”
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