Videos of teens getting light headed, falling over and crashing cars are circulating on social media and getting millions of views thanks to a wildly popular product called Galaxy Gas.
It’s a can of flavored nitrous oxide, also known as whippets or laughing gas, that is supposed to be used in whipped cream, cocktails and coffees.
Instead, people are inhaling the gas, which acts on the nervous system and gives the user a minute-long head rush and a euphoric, tingly feeling. In response, Galaxy Gas has paused sales of it’s product.
Dr Sulagna Misra, a primary care physician, told DailyMail.com: ‘This issue is very troubling because the high is temporary and is constantly being chased, and the product is very accessible.’
She added people can overdose and die from the inhaling the gas because it robs the brain and body of oxygen. Nitrous oxide had claimed the lives of at least two dozen Americans.
Whippets have been abused for decades, but research from the Royal London hospital suggests it’s been ‘rapidly rising’ in both the US and UK, and has become the seventh most popular drug in the world.
There are no recent reports on the number of deaths linked to laughing gas. As of 2016, the most recent data cited, there had been 29 deaths in the US from nitrous oxide, according to a study from Yale doctors.
The Atlanta-based Galaxy Gas has only been around since 2021.
One video of people inhaling nitrous oxide shows a group of teenagers passing around a cannister in school. The caption on the video says it’s Galaxy Gas, which is sold in brightly-colored cans with abstract designs on them.
Immediately after taking a hit, one boy falls against the wall, unsteadily, before falling to the ground. He then laughs and stands up.
Another video shows a different boy who immediately falls to the ground after taking a huff from the cannister – his words slurred.
A third shows a boy driving at high speeds with a container of nitrous oxide in his hands.
He seemingly doesn’t see a vehicle parked on the shoulder in the distance, and crashes into it as the passengers in the car scream.
In 2023, Ashley Broha returned home from work to find her fiancé, whose identity has been concealed, dead. He was hooked up to a tank of nitrous oxide.
A coroner’s report found the Louisiana man had died from a lack of oxygen caused by nitrous oxide poisoning.
In 2019, a 17 year old Pennsylvania high schooler named John Schoenig died after inhaling nitrous oxide at a party. The gas had robbed his body of oxygen, stopping his heart.
Jenna Combel, a young woman in New Orleans, told Fox8 she became addicted to nitrous oxide and was eventually hospitalized after the chemical caused her to lose feeling in her legs. She was unable to walk for months.
Social media had been riff with videos of people doing whippets as friends stand around and laugh when they fall to ground, their voice changes or they say something incoherent, but most footage has been scrubbed from sites.
When you search ‘Galaxy Gas’ on TikTok, a disclaimer appears, reading: ‘Some substances can be dangerous when used or misused. Learn more about how drugs, alcohol and tobacco can affect your mind, body and behavior.’
When used without a doctor’s supervision, people are likely to take in more nitrous oxide than they should – leading to headaches, nausea, vomiting, agitation, low blood pressure, fainting, heart attack and nerve damage.
Children are particularly susceptible to some of the symptoms, because their brains are still developing, and may be permanently damaged by using the gas, Dr Migra said.
Inhaling too much at one time can cut off oxygen supply to the brain and body – causing death.
Long term use has been linked to an increased risk for depression, psychosis, memory loss, muscle spasms, numbness and problems with your immune system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Because the gas can be used to make instant whipped cream, it’s sold in grocery stores, gas stations and smoke shops across the country, completely legally with no minimum buying age or identification required.
Most states have little to no regulation on the product, and even in those that do, it’s sometimes possible for people to order the products online.
Louisiana became the first state to ban retail sales of nitrous oxide containers earlier this year. In 2023, New York passed a ban on selling the cartridges to people under 21.
When nitrous oxide was discovered in the 1700s, doctors quickly made use of its calming and anesthetic properties – and it’s still widely used in doctors offices today.
The gas affects the nervous system, producing a sense of relaxation, light-headedness and tingling.
It takes effect quickly and wears off quickly, so in a medical setting, doctors monitor the amount used carefully.
In the 1930s, scientists discovered using the gas under pressure with cream could create instant whipped cream.
This led to the loop hole that exists today, where in many states, it’s legal to sell nitrous oxide cannisters without restriction if the products are manufactured for culinary purposes.
Since then, laughing gas abuse has been ‘rapidly rising.’
Public figures, such as rapper Skrilla, have used nitrous oxide in the open. The Atlanta native pulled out a cannister of the gas during a 2024 interview with YouTuber Adam Grandmaison, and the pair passed it back and forth, appearing to inhale the gas behind a blurred logo.
It is unclear what brand the rapper and YouTuber were using.
As such, many companies have popped up to fill the demand – Galaxy Gas is just one of many nitrous oxide products sold under the culinary umbrella. Others include Elitegas, GreatWhip and Boosted.
A disclaimer that appears upon entering Galaxy Gas’ website reads: ‘Products containing nitrous oxide are sold solely as a food processing propellant for whipped cream and culinary food use only.’
In response to recent reports, the company said: ‘Galaxy Gas products are for responsible culinary use only, and we are deeply concerned about the recent news reports and social media posts of individuals illegally misusing our products’.
However, critics of nitrous oxide products, like New York Senator Joe Addabbo, say these companies don’t have as many guardrails in place as they should.
Sen Addabbo told Fox8: ‘They know exactly what they’re doing and they’re not marketing toward 16-year-old bakers. No. They’re using it for the other use of nitrous oxide, the illegal use.
‘We have an issue nationally. [Nitrous oxide is] accessible, cheap. It’s available, it’s easy to use and I think it should have national attention.’
