The nitrous oxideknown as ‘laughing gas’, has become in the fashionable drug in Europecheap and popular among young people, alerted this Tuesday the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which warned against the serious consequences that its consumption can cause.
Usually used in the preparation of industrial and medical productsWhat food additive or anesthetic, nitrous oxide also has “psychoactive” effects, producing feelings of euphoria, relaxation and dissociation.
Although his consumption for recreational purposes dates back to the 19th century, It has increased in recent years and in some European countries its expansion is already worrying, says the study “Nitrous oxide consumption: A growing concern for Europe”.
The drug is cheap, it is easy to obtain, it has short-lived effects and consumers perceive that “it is relatively safe”, continues the Observatory, based in Lisbon.
However, warns Alexis Goosdeel, director of the EMCDDA, “we found that more frequent or more intense consumption of gas increases the risk of serious damage, such as damage to the nervous system.”
The drug is sold in 8-gram cartridges -similar to those used to fill balloons- that allow the gas to be inhaled, are frequently used as an aerosol to make whipped cream and can be obtained in food stores, although there are also 15-kilo cylinders .
Social networks and side effects
The report draws attention to the role of social networks in the advertising and sale of drugs.
“It has developed a profitable and expanding supply chainin which specialized Internet stores directly promote the gas for recreational use and offer it under the pretext of its use to make whipped cream”, denounces.
But, the ‘laughing gas’ far from harmless. It can cause poisoning, burns, lung damage and damage to the nervous system.
The data collected by the Observatory -based on real cases from seven European countries– shows a significant increase in poisonings since 2017.
Between the aftermathexperts warn of irreversible damage from the inactivation of vitamin B12 in the body, essential for healthy neural function; cold burns -when the gas is released at low temperatures-, lung injuries and traffic accidents caused by driving under its influence.
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To curb the problem, the Observatory recommends increasing monitoring of consumption and research on its impact and possible treatments, also consulting the sectors that use nitrous oxide for industrial or drug production.
The study has been prepared with research on real cases from seven European countries: Denmark, Ireland, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom.