Galaxy gas has become a popular and easily accessible drug for young people. YPulse reported on the trend of teens using candy-flavored tanks of nitrous oxide (a.k.a. whippets) last year, but it’s since gained even more popularity. Although selling nitrous oxide explicitly for recreational use is illegal, companies exploit a loophole by marketing it as a food-processing component for whipped cream and other products. (Which the original “galaxy gas” really was.) This allows the gas to be sold over the counter, online, and in bulk through smoke shops, but even regularly at major retailers such as Ace Hardware, Walmart, and Amazon. Heavy users have reported experiencing seizures, mouth lesions, and paralysis, among many other health problems, but these alarming outcomes have done little to slow the drug’s rise. (New York Magazine)
📊 YPulse data: 6% of 13-39-year-olds have tried or experimented with whippets / laughing gas
