A growing number of deaths and serious injuries linked to recreational nitrous oxide use are fueling a push for tighter restrictions on a gas commonly sold at smoke shops, gas stations, and online, with advocates urging Congress to limit consumer access.
The substance, commonly known as laughing gas, is used medically for anesthesia and pain relief and commercially to make whipped cream. But products containing the gas marketed under names such as Galaxy Gas, Goo Sticks, and Whip-its have also become popular among recreational users, raising concerns about the risks of inhaling the gas and the ease with which young people can obtain the substance in many states.
A study published in 2025 found that annual U.S. deaths involving nitrous oxide poisoning increased from 23 in 2010 to 156 in 2023. The findings have spurred calls for lawmakers to address the availability of nitrous oxide products sold for recreational use.
In September, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved the Nitrous Oxide Safety Act, legislation introduced by Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) to prohibit consumer sales of nitrous oxide while preserving legitimate medical, industrial, food-production, and research applications. The bill is awaiting consideration by the full House.
“We have been hearing heartbreaking stories from parents whose children have been gravely injured, hospitalized with serious neurological problems, and in the worst cases even died from nitrous oxide misuse,” Mullin said in a statement after the committee vote.
“The blatant branding of these products as a carefree party drug is absurd,” he added.
Families push for federal action
For Julia Charleston, founder of People Against Nitrous Oxide, the campaign to restrict recreational sales began with the death of her son, Robert Howland.
Charleston said she discovered hundreds of empty nitrous oxide canisters scattered throughout her son’s home while searching for clues after he disappeared. She said she initially did not recognize the canisters but began researching the substance after discovering what they were.
Authorities found her son’s body 63 days after he went missing. Charleston said she believes he died by suicide while struggling with nitrous oxide addiction.
“I had no idea that he was struggling in that area,” Charleston told the Washington Examiner. “It was closure, but it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.”
She subsequently founded PANOS, an online community to connect families dealing with nitrous oxide addiction, injuries, and deaths, as well as to advocate restrictions on recreational sales. The community has grown to more than 400 members.
Charleston argued that restricting access could help people struggling with addiction, including those who want to stop using the gas but find it difficult to avoid.
In early September, Charleston and other PANOS members traveled to Washington to meet with Mullin and lobby for the Nitrous Oxide Safety Act.
Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) meets with PANOS members in a September press conference. (Photo provided by Rep. Kevin Mullin)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_7474-e1792173748862.jpg?w=1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_7474.jpg?w=696" alt="Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) meets with PANOS members in a September press conference. Provided by Rep. Kevin Mullin" class="wp-image-4768851">
Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) meets with PANOS members in a September press conference. Provided by Rep. Kevin Mullin
Charleston argues that restricting access could help people struggling with addiction, including those who want to stop using the gas but find it difficult to avoid.
“I’ve even talked to people who are still in the throes of addiction who have told me that if nitrous oxide was harder to get, they might not struggle so much,” she said.
She also criticized retailers who sell the products as whipped cream chargers despite their recreational appeal.
Charleston said a former employee of a vape shop in Alabama told her that the store’s owner continued selling nitrous oxide after learning of her son’s death because the product was too profitable to remove from the shelves.
For Charleston, the goal is not to eliminate legitimate uses of the gas but to prevent recreational consumers from obtaining it.
Law enforcement sees risks to public safety
The consequences extend beyond the health risks to individual users, according to Bobby Dean, captain of the Narcotics Bureau at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Dean told the Washington Examiner that deputies are encountering nitrous oxide at illegal street takeovers, gatherings where drivers block intersections and perform stunts such as spinning their cars in circles while spectators watch.
The department’s Street Takeover Task Force recently encountered a suspected illegal sales operation at a gas station in Bellflower, California, during an investigation into possible street takeover activity.
Ten people were arrested in the Oct. 10 operation, according to the sheriff’s department: nine on suspicion of unlawful possession of nitrous oxide and a gas station clerk on suspicion of illegally selling it. Deputies reported finding people inhaling the gas and drinking alcohol in the parking lot, along with dozens of balloons and canisters.
Dean said a separate enforcement encounter the previous weekend involved a young driver who was inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon. According to Dean, the driver struck another vehicle during the attempted traffic stop, injuring his passenger.
The gas can cause dizziness, disorientation, and impaired coordination, Dean said, creating risks similar to those associated with other forms of impaired driving.
He also described its accessibility as a central challenge for enforcement.
Nitrous oxide itself has legitimate uses and is not categorically illegal. But California law restricts recreational possession and use, as well as furnishing the substance to minors, Dean said.
Still, he acknowledged that restrictions will not eliminate demand.
“People who are motivated and determined to find it are going to find a way to get it,” Dean said.
Health risks extend beyond the immediate high
Nitrous oxide produces short-lived effects, including euphoria, dizziness, and altered perception, but frequent use can cause severe neurological damage. The gas can inactivate vitamin B12, a nutrient essential to maintaining healthy nerves and blood cells. Prolonged or heavy use can lead to B12 deficiency and damage to the spinal cord and peripheral nerves, potentially causing numbness, weakness, difficulty walking, and, in severe cases, lasting disability.
Deaths may occur through asphyxiation or injuries sustained while impaired, including car crashes. The precise circumstances vary, and the mortality figures reported in the research do not establish that every death involved the same mechanism.
The risks and rise in deaths have prompted state lawmakers across the country to pursue restrictions, though the approaches differ.
Louisiana and Michigan enacted restrictions in 2024 on recreational sales, while Oklahoma passed legislation in 2025 addressing nitrous oxide use and sales to minors. Washington enacted a law in March 2026 restricting sales outside specified legitimate uses.
Other states have considered narrower restrictions targeting flavored products or sales through tobacco and vape retailers.
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For Charleston, the issue remains personal even as the campaign moves through Congress. She said she wants families to understand that products marketed as party supplies can carry serious consequences, and she hopes lawmakers will act before more families experience similar losses.
“It’s not a product for consumers to inhale,” she said. “My primary role is to get nitrous oxide out of the hands of consumers so that they don’t harm themselves anymore.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
