The hospitalization of an English soccer league star (whose name was not revealed) for his addiction to “laughing gas” (“hippy crack”)made public a topic that until a few days ago was taboo: the rise of the drug nitrous oxide that became highly addictive among young people between 16 and 34 years old in almost all of Europe.
The biggest problem facing society is that nitrous oxide It is a legal and economic compound. However, in recent months, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recategorized it as a class 3 drug due to its dangerousness, if we understand Class 1 to be heroin, LSD and ecstasy, and Class 2 to cocaine, methadone and fentanyl.
Discovery. The appearance of nitrous oxide was recorded in the year 1798 by the English biochemist Humphry Davy who experienced that its hilarious and analgesic effects induced laughter, with sedative and analgesic effects, initially ideal for dental patients. It comes in liquid format or as a compressed gas And as it is quickly absorbed, the gas immediately spreads through the central nervous system, generating in the consumer an immediate sensation of euphoria, well-being and laughter.
But like any seemingly harmless drug, Its contraindication is immediate, silent and deadly. Its improper and continued use produces neurological and cognitive problems, in addition to a deficiency of vitamin B12, which is essential to maintain the health of neurons and blood, and the formation of the individual’s DNA. Its daily and prolonged use at the time can cause asphyxiation, hallucinations, altered perception and even respiratory arrest.
Far from being that criminal tool that the Joker used to commit his robberies before the astonished gaze of Batman, laughing gas puts European and global youth in check. One more item that human beings add to their incomprehensible path to extinction.
