Despite a long-held reputation as a relatively mild party drug, nitrous oxide is becoming increasingly dangerous and building dependency among users, according to clinicians at one of Connecticut’s major drug and alcohol treatment centers.
Admissions for nitrous oxide dependency more than doubled in the past year at Mountainside Treatment Center in Canaan, and drug rehabs in other states are reporting increases too.
“It’s very popular with people 18 to 24, college students without a lot of money,” said Daniel Sexton, outpatient program manager at Mountainside. “This isn’t a fringe trend anymore. What we’re seeing is a clear shift — from experimentation to repeated use, and from casual misuse to dependency.
“The shift to dependency is driven by legal access, low perceived risk and how the product is now being marketed,” he said.
Nitrous oxide is commonly known as a relatively low-grade sedative in medicine, and is particularly popular as “laughing gas” in dentistry. Patients are not entirely sedated, but it reduces their anxiety, promotes a brief calm and reduces pain sensations. The gas is also sold commercially as a propellant for cans of whipped cream or other foods.
Sexton noted that it was used as far back as the 1790s as a recreational drug in Britain, and made a resurgence in recent decades at music festivals and raves in the United States and elsewhere. It is known for giving a quick, ultra-brief high, with users typically describing euphoria and reduction of anxiety that last perhaps 15 minutes.
But numerous medical researchers and addiction specialists have warned that use — particularly chronic, repetitive use — is growing widely, driven at least partly by manufacturers who now use colorful packaging and brand names to appeal to younger buyers. Supposedly intended for home bakers, the gas is now sold under play-on-words brand names including Baking Bad, ExoticWhip, Cloud 9ine, Bamboozle and more.
Psychology Today reported last summer that national research shows recreational hallucinogen usage is up among teens even as alcohol, marijuana and tobacco use have been dropping. And while the inhalant isn’t nearly lethal as opioids have become, nitrous oxide deaths in the United States soared by more than 500% between 2010 and 2023, it reported.
The FDA recently concluded that misuse of the gas has grown widely enough that it justified issuing warning that consumers shouldn’t inhale nitrous oxide. It listed potential side effects as asphyxiation, blood clots, frostbite, headache, impaired bowel and bladder function, lightheadedness, limb weakness, loss of consciousness, numbness, palpitations, paralysis, psychiatric disturbances, trouble walking and possibly even death.
“For some individuals who regularly inhale nitrous oxide, this habit can lead to prolonged neurological effects, including spinal cord or brain damage, even after stopping use,” the FDA said.
Many states have minimal regulation of nitrous oxide sales, but Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan and Minnesota in just the past year have either toughened regulations or are considering stricter statutes. Connecticut bans nitrous oxide sales to minors entirely, and regulates distribution to adults.
In late October, Ridgefield police charged two men with illegally selling cannabis and nitrous oxide containers at a local smoke shop, and in September Norwalk police charged two local vape shop owners with illegally possessing nearly 11 pounds of marijuana and cannabis items along with four canisters of nitrous oxide.
Police in Rye, N.Y., reported just before Christmas that a Norwalk man was found unconscious behind the wheel of his running car. Officers found 27 small cartridges of nitrous oxide in the vehicle.
Sexton said Mountainside’s admissions spiked from 21 to 44 between 2024 and 2025.
“The majority of the folks admitted were in the 20- to 30-year-old age range, and three-quarters were men,” he said.
“One of the scariest things about nitrous oxide is how easy it is to get,” Mountainside said in a statement. “Unlike a lot of illegal drugs, you can find nitrous oxide products being sold openly as if they’re just regular kitchen supplies. Online stores have made it even easier, letting you order large amounts.”