Since the deconfinement, residents of many cities in France have complained and worried about the number of nitrous oxide cartridges found in the streets or even in kindergartens. So much so that the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture published a warning on Twitter, recalling the dangers of laughing gas for health.
- Since the deconfinement, everywhere in France, many residents are worried about finding nitrous oxide cartridges in the street or gardens.
- Uncontrolled inhalation of commercially available nitrous oxide can lead to many health complications.
- In December, the Senate passed a cross-partisan bill to ban the sale of nitrous oxide to minors, including on e-commerce sites.
The fashion for laughing gas is not waning. While the health authorities have been warning for months against the dangers of nitrous oxide, since the deconfinement, its consumption has exploded among young people. The latter generally transfer the gas, notably present in the cartridges used for whipped cream siphons, into a balloon before inhaling it. Then comes a feeling of drunkenness and an irrepressible laughter that seduces the partygoers. For several weeks, residents of many cities in France, including Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice or Marseille, have been complaining and are concerned about the number of cartridges found in the streets or even in kindergartens. So much so that on June 8, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture published a warning on Twitter.
???? Press release – Misuse of nitrous oxide (N2O) – warning ⤵️
To access the link indicated in the press release ➡️ https://t.co/Ya5Rq4dtCr pic.twitter.com/mQ3gXSkdkm– PrefectAlpesMaritimes (@prefect06) June 8, 2020
“Even in times of deconfinement, we must not confuse moments of festive leisure with endangerment. Reports from the police and gendarmerie report an upsurge in the misuse of nitrous oxide cartridges. Also, in our department, the prefecture wishes to warn of the dangers of this practice”thus alerting the prefecture.
If it causes giggles, the uncontrolled inhalation of nitrous oxide, very easily available commercially, can lead to many complications. Among them, asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen, loss of consciousness, burns from the cold of the gas expelled from the cartridge, dizziness, or even falls.
Memory loss, mood disorders, heart rhythm disorders, hallucinations…
People who inhale high doses even risk spinal cord injury, vitamin B12 deficiency, anemia and mental disorders. As for regular consumers, they expose themselves to a risk of memory loss, erectile dysfunction, mood (paranoia), heart rate, hallucinations, or even a drop in blood pressure. The risks are obviously increased when this practice is associated with the consumption of alcohol or drugs. Even more worrying, the disorders can appear several months after the use of laughing gas. However, they are most often reversible upon total cessation of consumption and through treatment with vitamin B12.
Since the beginning of the year, in France, “25 reports of severe health effects” have been recorded, including 10 cases “serious with consequences for some”, such as paralysis of the limbs to varying degrees, alerted in December Valérie Létard, senator from the North, a region very affected by this phenomenon. Indeed, eight of these serious cases took place in Hauts-de-France.
“We must put an end to the notion of laughing gas, because its effects on health are not enough to laugh at”, challenged the centrist Jocelyne Guidez. In the UK, where laughing gas has been popular for longer, “30 deaths have been recorded since 2001”, worried Valérie Létard.
Prohibit the sale of nitrous oxide to minors, including on the Internet
If this fashion is relatively recent in France, the consumption of laughing gas in the evening is nothing new. “As early as 1999, consumption was observed in the free parties. After a period where its presence declined, nitrous oxide became fashionable again from 2010. It was found in alternative techno parties”. explains Clément Gérômesociologist at the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT), in Slate.
To counter the trend, after warning of its risks in a press release, the government took matters into its own hands. In December, the Senate adopted a cross-partisan bill aimed at banning the sale of nitrous oxide to minors (according to a report by LCI, some use it from the age of eight), including on e-commerce sites. Failure to comply with this prohibition will be punished by a fine of €3,750. In addition, manufacturers will have to indicate the dangerousness of the product on the packaging. The text adopted in committee also provides for penalizing the incitement of a minor to misuse a consumer product such as this to obtain psychoactive effects and to support the prevention policy carried out at the ‘school.
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