Nitrous oxide, known more commonly as laughing gas, is less popular than ever before, declining rapidly in use since the pandemic, new data has shown.
Whilst it may have been a common sight to see people inhaling the drug scientifically known as N₂O five years ago, the days of gas filled balloons at house parties are long gone.
“I feel like everyone’s just a bit more health conscious… on social media you have nine year olds doing skincare”
– Cecilia aged 32
According to the ONS, since the pandemic, there has been a significant decline in the recreational use of laughing gas amongst 16-59 year olds.
Whilst N₂O has been around and addictive for centuries, and commonly used in medical settings, there was a rise in recreational popularity during the 2010’s.
Mary Geller, a drug educator from Hope UK, notes how despite the data in this period being non-existent, experts speculate this may be down to celebrity use of the drug, referred to at the time as “hippy crack”.
It also remains one of the easiest drugs to acquire, available online from catering companies and in corner shops with little to no age verification required.
Despite this, in the context of tougher laws brought in by the Conservative government and greater awareness of the health risks, use of the popular drug is declining.
As shown below, despite a lack of data during the height of Covid, from March 2020 to March 2024 the proportion of those using the drug has halved.
Once close in popularity to cannabis and powder cocaine, nitrous oxide was the third most used drug in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
However despite reported nitrous oxide use in 16–59 year olds in England and Wales remaining relatively stable between 2016–2020 (between 2.2–2.4%) this reduced significantly by 2021 and even further by 2024 according to the ONS.
Laughing gas has also declined the most in use compared to other popular drugs since 2019.
While there has also been a slight decline in the use of cocaine and ecstasy, reflective of overall changes in drug habits and supply, nitrous oxide is noticeably even less popular.
Decreasing, for example, by 5.4% compared to the next nearest drug ecstasy that decreased by only 1.8%.
There are multiple potential causes for this decline.
Since the reclassification of nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in 2023, possession of the drug with intention to wrongfully inhale for psychoactive effect is now an offence.
The ban arose as part of the then Conservative Home Secretary’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan and toughened the consequences for those involved.
For example, those in breach of the law can now face community punishment, fines, police cautions on a criminal record or even a custodial sentence.
What else could be causing the recent decline in use?
Increased awareness could also be at play, as educators have begun to add nitrous oxide to their list of drugs to discuss with secondary school age children.
Moreover, horror stories of fainting, respiratory problems, nerve damage and paralysis have flooded an increasingly health conscious generation on social media.
Geller said: “The main risks are, it’s a bit like alcohol if you’re inhaling the gas, you get a bit drunk, you might fall over, you might bash your head, or have an accident.
“Then there is another risk, which I think young people are not necessarily aware of, which is that you could be displacing the oxygen that your brain requires, and that’s potentially dangerous.
“So if you keep doing it, the cumulative effect is potentially that you’re depriving your brain of the oxygen it needs.”
The recent deaths of three teenagers after video footage showed the driver inhaling the gas was a stark reminder that the drug is still being used, but could also act as another deterrent for today’s party goers.
Thomas Johnson, 19, seen on video footage below inhaling the gas before getting behind the wheel, he went on to receive a jail sentence of three years and 11 months.
Upon handing down the sentence, Judge Emma Nott, told the defendant he would be: “forever defined by his mistakes”.
As shown below, there is greater awareness of the drug amongst health professionals, with the number of enquiries to drug hotlines about nitrous oxide rising in recent years in spite of a decline in use.
Increased awareness and decreasing popularity perhaps indicates a cautiousness among drug users.
Robbie, 28 from Streatham said that he had stopped inhaling laughing gas altogether.
He said: “I’d say for me in particular, it was probably a kind of awareness of the risk at the same time as my peer group began talking about the side effects more.”
Cecilia, 32 from Twickenham can recall the first time she ever tried at a fireworks night in Wimbledon as a teenager.
She said: “The feeling is very brief. It’s very giggly, and you just feel your brain goes, whoop, whoop, whoop. And it feels like you’re just out of it for about 30 seconds.”
After that first experience, she continued to inhale balloons throughout her 20s, sometimes doing two in a row or inhaling upside down to increase the high.
She says it was easy to purchase the canisters and crackers on Ebay.
Cecilia added: “My cousin would have these big parties once a year, which she still does, and she went through a phase of always getting laughing gas for the parties, but then we stopped doing it just because it’s quite expensive.
“It’s also a waste of money because it’s such a short high, and there is a risk to it.”
Later on her use of the nitrous oxide became less frequent and has now almost stopped entirely.
She explained: “It’s definitely out of fashion. So it’s not commonly used, but it’s not frowned upon.
“I feel like everyone’s just a bit more health conscious.
“I think it’s also on social media and everything, like, you also have nine year olds doing skincare”
Despite the decline in use, there is still a rising risk when it comes to laughing gas.
According to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, larger canisters of nitrous oxide are increasingly appearing in the UK.
These new canisters are cracked open in the same way as traditional canisters but typically contain larger amounts of laughing gas, and can be as big as 2kg.
Geller added: “What we have been seeing, particularly coming over from Europe are these huge canisters.
“The risk of continuous acute exposure is that it can cause damage to the central nervous system, because one of the things nitrous oxide does is that it inhibits the metabolism of vitamin B12 in the body.”
Acting as expert drug educators and participating over the last few years in the Junior Citizens Scheme, Hope UK works with local authorities across London with a number of agencies that come together to offer workshops to young people on drug awareness.
As seen below, one of these canisters can fill as many as 500 balloons. By comparison, the average 8g single-use canister of gas can fill a maximum of two balloons.
This dangerous rise in quantity has been anecdotally attributed to the cost per dose being cheaper for a larger cartridge and ability to fill balloons more quickly.
In 2022, an EMCDDA review found that several EU states had observed that laughing gas was more available than in previous years, and despite stricter penalties was now cheaper, larger and more accessible.
Variety in regulations between countries also hasn’t helped, and debate around the value of success of changes in law highlight that there are a number of factors at play in the decline or risks of nitrous oxide.
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