Florida Legislature advances crackdown on recreational nitrous oxide

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers are debating new restrictions on the retail sale of nitrous oxide, a gas commonly used for legitimate culinary and medical purposes but increasingly abused recreationally.

What we know:

Nitrous oxide — sometimes referred to as "laughing gas" — is legally used in medical settings as an anesthetic and in kitchens for whipped cream dispensers. However, canisters are also being sold in vape shops and convenience stores across the state.

Often labeled "for culinary use only," the products are packaged in bright colors with fruity, candy-like branding. Critics say the marketing mirrors tactics once used for synthetic marijuana and appears designed to appeal to young consumers.

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According to officials, when inhaled, nitrous oxide deprives the brain of oxygen, producing a short-lived euphoric high.

What they're saying:

Lawmakers and medical professionals say they are increasingly concerned about the health risks tied to chronic nitrous oxide abuse.

Repeated misuse can lead to serious neurological damage, nerve issues, loss of consciousness, and in some cases, death. Some critics have gone so far as to call the products "death in a can."

"Nitrous oxide has legitimate culinary and medical uses, but small- and large-format canisters are increasingly being marketed with bright packaging and flavoring and sold at vape shops and convenience stores," said Sen. Clay Yarborough. "When inhaled recreationally nitrous oxide cuts off the flow of oxygen to the brain to create a euphoric high which leads to side effects like loss of consciousness, neurological damage, and even death in some cases."  

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Yarborough has introduced new legislation that would prohibit convenience stores and smoke shops from selling nitrous oxide. 

Supporters of the legislation say restricting sales would make it harder for young people to abuse the gas and could help prevent further deaths.

What's next:

The proposed legislation is named "Meg’s Law," after 29-year-old Meg Caldwell, a Central Florida resident whose relatives say she was addicted to nitrous oxide and died behind a smoke shop after an overdose.

If passed, the bill would ban the sale of nitrous oxide outside of grocery stores and would make its possession a third-degree felony. 

The measure is now ready for a final vote in both the Florida House and Senate.