The Long, Strange History of Nitrous Oxide, a Popular Drug Users Have Been Inhaling for Hundreds of Years
Galaxy Gas has brought the drug back into the spotlight, and scientists are raising alarms about its health risks
Inhaling nitrous oxide is a modern twist on an old high. In the 19th century, philosophers and poets dabbled with it in the pursuit of metaphysical insights. Today, young adults are turning to Galaxy Gas, a flavored nitrous oxide originally sold for culinary purposes like aerating whipped cream, for a quick high. Inhaling the gas produces a brief euphoria, often accompanied by sensations of floating, and users are taking to social media to share the experience.
But artists like SZA have raised concerns about Galaxy Gas being marketed to young people. As the singer tweeted in September 2024, “Sorry to be old n annoying but … Is no one gonna talk about how Galaxy Gas came out of nowhere 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.”
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
SZA is not alone in her concerns. Continuous recreational misuse of nitrous oxide, sometimes known as “whippets,” poses significant risks, and the public health community is worried about its popularity among adolescents. However, this isn’t a new issue. According to Robert Heimer, an epidemiologist and pharmacologist at Yale School of Public Health, nitrous oxide has been used as a drug for short-lived, pleasurable experiences “going way back.”
“What’s different now is the ability of teen influencers to promote its use,” he says.
While the gas has legitimate uses in both the medical and culinary fields, questions remain about how it should be regulated.
The long history of nitrous oxide as a recreational drug
Recreational use of nitrous oxide dates back more than two centuries. The gas was first discovered in 1772 by Joseph Priestley, but it was Humphry Davy, a young chemist, who realized its mind-altering effects. In the late 1700s, Davy began a series of self-experiments, inhaling large amounts of nitrous oxide and experiencing sensations he described as giddiness, intense pleasure and “sublime emotion.”
In 1799, Davy expanded his experiments to include intellectuals, philosophers and poets, like Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in what became known as the nitrous oxide trials. These gatherings at the Pneumatic Institution saw a mix of doctors, chemists and artists inhaling the gas and sharing their experiences.
Southey, for instance, described the gas as providing “a new pleasure for which language has no name,” and marveled at the euphoria induced, describing it as the “atmosphere of the highest of all possible heavens.”
In the 1800s, nitrous oxide continued to enter public life through “laughing gas exhibitions,” held by American showman Gardner Quincy Colton. At these exhibitions, Colton would start with a brief lecture explaining the gas and its scientific properties, then invite volunteers from the audience to try it for themselves.
It was during an exhibition in 1844 that dentist Horace Wells observed a volunteer who, after inhaling nitrous oxide, injured his leg but reported feeling no pain. This observation sparked Wells’ interest in using the gas as an anesthetic for dental procedures.
According to Sukumar Desai, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Wells instructed Colton to “come to his dental practice the next morning” to show him how to administer the gas, so he could test it on himself while having one of his teeth extracted. The procedure was a success—Wells felt no pain.
“At the time, dental hygiene was awful because people didn’t brush their teeth on a regular basis, almost everyone needed something done which would be painful, and they were not going for the care because it would hurt,” Desai says. “So this was a great thing.”
Encouraged by his success, Wells went on to successfully perform the procedure without pain on a few other patients, eventually convincing a surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital to allow him to administer the gas as an anesthetic for a surgical operation as a demonstration for a medical audience.
However, the demonstration did not go as expected. According to Desai, during the procedure the volunteer let out a cry of pain, but when questioned about it later the volunteer had no memory. Despite this, the audience reacted negatively, and Wells’ reputation was ruined.
Nevertheless, Wells’ failure inspired his former partner, Thomas Green Morton, to continue experimenting with anesthetics, this time using ether instead of nitrous oxide. While nitrous oxide induces a quick, short-lived euphoria, ether causes deep sedation, making it more suitable for longer and more invasive surgeries. After a series of trials with ether, Morton conducted a public demonstration, which successfully numbed the patient’s pain and marked a major breakthrough in medical practice.
His demonstration reignited interest in Wells’ earlier work with nitrous oxide, Desai says, and the idea of using nitrous oxide as an anesthetic began to take hold, prompting its use to eventually become a standard part of dental and medical procedures.
The science of nitrous oxide: short high, long-term risks
Nitrous oxide works by inhibiting NMDA receptors in the brain, which play a key role in how our brain processes signals related to pain and memory. When these receptors are blocked, it can lead to feelings of euphoria and disorientation. The gas also triggers the release of endogenous opioids, natural chemicals produced by the brain that cause a calming, pain-relieving effect.
“The immediate effect will be a feeling of dissociation, sort of the sense that they are kind of a little out of body in that moment and not attached to reality,” says Scott Hadland, and addiction specialist at Mass General for Children. “And so it is certainly very much possible that somebody in that moment could fall and hurt themselves, sustain a head injury because of that disconnect with reality.”
Hadland also emphasizes that nitrous oxide, when inhaled, replaces oxygen in the body. As the gas enters the bloodstream, it deprives vital organs, especially the brain, of the oxygen needed for proper function. Without enough oxygen, users may experience dizziness and confusion, and, in extreme cases, oxygen deprivation can lead to unconsciousness or lasting cognitive impairment. Repeated use of nitrous oxide over time could cause lasting neurological issues due to the cumulative lack of oxygen delivered to the brain.
One of the other major risks of nitrous oxide abuse is the disruption of vitamin B12 metabolism, Hadland says. Nitrous oxide inactivates vitamin B12 in the body, a crucial nutrient for the formation of red blood cells and the proper functioning of the nervous system. When B12 is deactivated, it can lead to a condition called anemia, which causes symptoms like fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath. While Hadland says it would take a lot of repeated heavy use of nitrous oxide to see these effects, over time such use could also cause permanent neurological issues.
“You have to really use quite heavily in order to have the long-term severe medical effects from it,” Hadland says. “Intermittent use is unlikely to have any long-term harm from it, but we also don’t have a lot of great studies about some of the ways in which lower levels of exposure could actually be causing health problems that we just don’t know about.”
Hadland says this is particularly concerning because products like Galaxy Gas are so readily available to adolescents, often as young as 11 or 12 years old. While the gas doesn’t create physical dependence in the same way as substances like alcohol or opioids do, repeated use can lead to psychological dependence, as users chase the short, intense high that nitrous oxide provides.
The modern resurgence of nitrous oxide
Nearly two centuries after Wells’ use of nitrous oxide, the gas is once again in the limelight—but this time, its appeal is often powered by viral trends on social media.
Galaxy Gas, a flavored nitrous oxide product marketed with bright packaging that may appeal to young users, is one product often highlighted on social media. While these canisters are officially sold as whipped cream chargers, with flavors like “Blueberry Mango” and “Vanilla Cupcake,” they have become a popular recreational product. Hashtags like #GalaxyGas have garnered millions of views on TikTok as videos show users inhaling nitrous oxide and presenting it as a harmless and entertaining pursuit.
In response to the growing concern, TikTok implemented measures to mitigate the spread of such content. Searching for “Galaxy Gas” on the platform now redirects users to resources about substance abuse, aiming to educate and deter potential misuse. However, “People on Nitrous Gas” still has its own TikTok discovery tab, with videos racking up millions of views.
While nitrous oxide was once only available in professional settings, it’s now sold openly in smoke shops and online. Its sale is technically regulated for culinary use, but the lack of strict enforcement around these regulations has allowed users to buy it for recreational purposes with little consequence.
With its growing popularity, concerns about its dangers are mounting. Experts are particularly worried about its impact on young people who may not fully understand the risks associated with frequent use.
Regulatory challenges: a loophole in the system
Some states have started restricting the sale of nitrous oxide. Louisiana, for instance, became the first state to outright ban the retail sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. Similarly, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission warned tobacco retailers earlier this year about the illegal sale of nitrous oxide, emphasizing that selling the gas for recreational use is prohibited.
At the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration regulates nitrous oxide under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. While possession of nitrous oxide is legal, and it can be sold for legitimate purposes, such as in medical and culinary settings, it cannot be marketed or sold for the purpose of inhalation to produce a high. For example, a lawsuit currently alleges that canisters of Galaxy Gas were sold in smoke shops, promoting their use for inhalation rather than cooking. However, enforcement of these regulations has been challenging due to the gas’s widespread availability and the difficulty in proving intent for misuse.
“I think there is a reasonable case to be made that nitrous oxide should only be available for purchase at a minimum age,” Hadland says. “Two things would happen: The first is young people wouldn’t be able to directly buy nitrous oxide, and the second it would help send the message to parents that this is something that can be misused and that’s why there’s the higher level of scrutiny.”
However, not all public health officials agree that more regulation is necessary. Heimer argues that historically, prohibition-style approaches often do more harm than good. He believes the consequences of restricting access to a substance may be worse than the dangers posed by its use.
“We got a lot more serious problems than worrying about some whippets,” Heimer says. “I think parents should be encouraged to talk to their children about all kinds of substances that are consciousness altering, but the last thing we need is another attempt to try to control social behavior in the criminal justice or legal system.”
Nevertheless, some states are doing just that. In Michigan, for example, lawmakers passed a bill in March 2024 that criminalizes the sale of nitrous oxide for non-culinary or non-medical purposes. As the debate goes on, nitrous oxide, like many substances before it, continues to exist at the crossroads of science, culture and regulation.