The changing use of laughing gas

Nitrous oxide or laughing gas as been used as a recreational and medical drug since the late 1700s. Dentists often use it as an anaesthetic. It’s been linked to hippie, festival and rave culture for decades. And in the last few years, American rappers like Kanye West, Young Thug and Gunna have been open about using it.

You might have seen the little metal cannisters, that people use to dispense the drug, littering the streets. But now, manufacturers of nitrous oxide are producing bigger cannisters with different flavours and bright packaging and in the US, they are being stocked in smoke and vape shops.

Experts say this is contributing to a rise in the drug’s misuse. Using nitrous oxide can have harmful effects. Inhalation of nitrous oxide can lead to hypoxia, where the brain does not get enough oxygen. This can result in death. Regular inhalation can also lead to a Vitamin B12 deficiency which can cause nerve damage, degradation of the spinal column and even paralysis. The number of deaths attributed to nitrous oxide poisonings rose by more than 110% between 2019 and 2023, according to the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

In this episode BBC journalist Eve Webster explains how the use of nitrous oxide has changed recently, especially in the US. We hear about the risks of using it and where bans are in place. Ezra Marcus, an American investigative journalist, tells us how nitrous has become so popular in the US since the pandemic - and its links to American rappers. And BBC journalist Chigozie Ohaka sets out the current situation with nitrous oxide in Nigeria, where authorities tried to clamp down on it in 2023.

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart

Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Chelsea Coates

Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal

Editor: Verity Wilde