Nitrous Oxide

Description

Nitrous oxide is a gas that has a long history of use as an anaesthetic and, more recently, as a propellant in aerosol cans as a replacement for ozone-damaging CFCs.

It has a long history of use as a recreational substance, but due to the relative ease of obtaining it (being legal to purchase) and sharing it, nitrous oxide is particularly popular amongst teenagers and younger people, as well as festival goers. There has been a notable increase in reported use in recent years and this is a drug which young people’s services in the UK are acutely interested in.

Pharmacology

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an inorganic molecule that works on the brain as a biological regulator. It has analgesic effects similar to opioids in nature, as well as anaesthetic actions. Some argue it has anxiolytic effects similar to benzodiazepines and act on the GABA-A receptor, though there is very little evidence base for this in humans. At high concentrations, N2O can displace oxygen, which can result in asphyxiation to the subject.

Long-term inhalation of nitrous oxide can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. N2O inactivates vitamin B12 by oxidation. For infrequent consumption among healthy individuals, their B12 stores are able to ‘absorb’ this oxidation. However, upon long term use those stores are depleted, leading to a deficiency causing paresthesia (tingling, prickling or numbing sensations) and ataxia (lack of coordination): both early signs of nerve damage and toxicity.

Harm Reduction

• Set and setting: All drug experiences are impacted by your baseline. Feeling anxious or down before taking any substance, and/or taking it in an environment that feels overstimulating or unsafe, can increase the risk of a bad experience.
• Start low, go slow: Take a small amount and wait until you can feel the effects before taking more/anything else.
• Try not to use alone: If something goes wrong, someone is there to get help
• Heart failure: gas or solvent use may stop the heart instantly or cause it to beat irregularly. Sudden exercise after inhaling solvents increases the risk of heart failure.
• Suffocation and asphyxiation: when volatile substances are used in an enclosed space, there is a risk of suffocation due to lack of oxygen, especially if the user becomes unconscious. When users place their whole head in a bag containing a volatile substance, they incur a high risk of suffocation. If inhaling from a balloon, it is important not to take too big a breath in one go, as this can overwhelm you and make you lightheaded. Keep an eye on how much friends are taking too.
• Choking on vomit, especially when unconscious, is another significant risk. Accumulating the amount you use, particularly if you are by yourself, increases the risk. In any peer group, particularly one where party drugs are regularly used, it is important to have people trained in basic first aid awareness.
• Accidental injuries: users may become confused and disorientated. This creates a risk of accidents such as falling or drowning, and loss of spatial awareness which can result in poor decision making in relation to tasks such as crossing the road. Young people may use volatile substances in dangerous environments such as car parks, construction sites, railway embankments or river sides. Such places are hazardous and may be inaccessible to emergency services.
• Burns: gases and solvents can usually be highly flammable and therefore carry a high risk of serious burn injuries, especially when used near cigarettes or candles. The canisters are also highly pressurised and therefore carry a risk of explosion near naked flames.
• Nitrous oxide is not physically addictive, but it is easy to get caught up in using too much when with friends, such as over a weekend long festival. Users may also feel that they cannot do without them for a few hours after stopping use. These cravings will lessen with time.

History

Nitrous oxide was first identified in the late 18th century by the British scientist and theologian Joseph Priestley, who was also responsible for isolating oxygen. Sir Humphrey Davy, of the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, introduced the gas to friends and colleagues and coined the term ‘laughing gas’ due to the reactions it provoked.

In the early 19th century a practice of piping the gas into sealed auditoriums, whilst audiences were entertained by comic acts on stage, came into vogue. These ‘laughing gas parties’ were primarily the preserve of the upper classes, and were seen as more civilised entertainment than the debauched alternatives (mostly involving alcohol) of the poorer.

In the late 20th century, as the technology to compress the gas into portable canisters became more widely available, the use of nitrous oxide began to spread to a wider using group, becoming especially popular amongst teenagers who could purchase the canisters more easily than alcohol or other drugs. Nitrous oxide has become the focus of media attention after a number of cases linking it to deaths have come to light, and whilst (as with any substance) there are potential health risks associated with its excessive use, such as lack of oxygen to the brain, it is certainly not a new phenomenon or a more dangerous substance now than it has been in the past.

NOS was historically sold in small 8g steel cartridges ("whippits") intended for cream whippers. Since the 2023 ban (see Law), supply has shifted heavily toward large catering-format cylinders (branded products like Smartwhip, Best Whip, Galaxy Gas), sold under the "culinary purposes" exemption rather than as recreational chargers. Larger cylinders mean bigger single-session exposure, and have driven a sharp rise in canister-related waste-stream explosions, prompting calls from environmental bodies to restrict large-format sales to verified commercial buyers.

Law

• Class C
• Schedule 5

Possible offences

• Possession
  • Maximum sentence – 2 years/fine/both
  • Possession With Intent To Supply
  • Maximum sentence – 14 years/fine/both
  • Supply (including being concerned in supply, conspiracy to supply, aggravated supply and offer to supply)
  • Maximum sentence – 14 years/fine/both
  • Production
  • Maximum sentence – 14 years/fine/both

In practice maximum sentences are rarely used, for more detailed and accurate information go to our sentencing guide.

It will remain lawful to import, export, produce, supply, offer to supply and possess nitrous oxide in certain circumstances. Specifically, people may undertake those activities except where, dependent on the offence, they intend, know or are reckless as to whether the substance is likely to be wrongfully inhaled by a person. “Wrongful inhalation” means any inhalation which is not for a medical or dental purpose or is not of nitrous oxide which has been released into the atmosphere (for example, directly from a cannister or a balloon).