You may have heard of laughing gas or nitrous oxide before. The substance, which has been misused for recreational purposes for a while now, is being sold under a new name: Galaxy Gas. The Georgia-based vendor has been selling canisters of nitrous oxide with the intent of turning liquid cream into foamy desserts and beverages. Yet, some experts have raised concerns over its recreational use by young people and have pointed to its colorful and playful packaging. There’s been so much backlash that Galaxy Gas paused the sale of its canisters on Sept. 19, according to The New York Times.
Galaxy Gas gained traction on TikTok, leading the platform to issue a ban
Online, videos of young people inhaling canisters have been racking up millions of views. It has led TikTok to ban any content regarding Galaxy Gas and display a warning about substance abuse instead.
Nitrous oxide being used as a party drug is nothing new. In 2021, New York State passed a law banning the sale of whipped cream chargers containing the gas to anyone under 21, according to the New York Times. Over 13 million Americans have misused nitrous oxide at some point in their lives, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The risks of nitrous oxide
Contrary to popular belief, nitrous oxide does indeed come with risks. Dr. Purva Grover, who serves as the medical director of pediatric emergency departments at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, calls it “very dangerous” if not administered by a professional. It “could lead to really bad things, including, your heart could stop,” she added.
Galaxy Gas has stopped the sale of canisters on its website, but samples are still available for purchase on wholesale websites supplying smoke shops. Canisters are even available as virtual accessories on the gaming website Roblox.
A spokesperson for Galaxy Gas told The Times that the company was “deeply concerned about the recent news reports and social media posts of individuals illegally misusing our products.”
“Both our terms of use and conditions of sale strictly prohibit unlawful use, misuse or appeal to children,” they added.
Some celebrities and influencers are using their platforms to warn their young fan base against the use of laughing gas canisters.
Sorry to be old n annoying but.. Is no one gonna talk about how galaxy gas came out of no where and is being MASS marketed to black children? the government is doing NOTHING ? .. since when are we selling whip its at the store ???? Somebody protect the children. pic.twitter.com/Aa67ZSpkmU
— SZA (@sza) September 20, 2024
geeked up trackhawk w galaxy gas pic.twitter.com/sWidvxZvap
— gnarski (@lilgnar) September 24, 2024
Although Galaxy Gas indicates that the colorful packaging of its canisters isn’t to target young people and children, some experts disagree.
“Consciously or subliminally, the message is, This is OK for kids,” Dr. Gail Saltz, a psychoanalyst and physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, told The Times.
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