Laughing gas urgently needs to be “restricted” to help teenagers, Sinn Féin has said. 

Nitrous oxide - or ‘laughing gas’ - is a legal substance that is used to fill balloons or for catering purposes. 

Recently, it has also become popular among teenagers who inhale it for a short ‘rush’ to the head but use of the substance is not risk free; the Dutch Government has banned it this year and the Adolescent Addiction Services in Dublin has seen a surge in users seeking help. 

“They’ve seen a 175% increase in the amount of young people looking for help with nitrous oxide,” TD Mark Ward told The Hard Shoulder. 

“That’s a 175% increase in one year - so, 22% of all people that are presenting to the adolescent addiction services have said they have used nitrous oxide in the past or are currently using it.” 

2ETMKCP Shiny nitrous-oxide canisters (laughing gas) discarded in the countryside by irresponsible youths

Deputy Ward described laughing gas as “cheap and easily available” and often sees discarded empty canisters in his constituency. 

Amazon stopped selling the gas in Ireland in 2021 - but other companies continue to do so. 

“It is illegal, however, to sell it for human consumption - but it’s proving that it’s being sold for human consumption that the Guards have,” Deputy Ward said.  

“You can go online and you can buy it online and get it delivered to your home and there is no restrictions at the moment in that.” 

Nitrous oxide metal bulbs.

The British Medical Journal has described use of the drug as “epidemic” among young people and warned it is linked to a number of neurological complications. 

“I was on a panel with a neurologist from the Mater Hospital just before Christmas in relation to this and she explained that young people are turning up at the Mater Hospital with problems with their extremities, numbness, loss of balance [and] there were also mental health issues associated with this,” Deputy Ward said. 

“There’s also respiratory problems associated with this and there could be long-term neurological problems associated with the usage of nitrous oxide. 

“We’ll only know that when we have long-term information on that.” 

Before his election as a TD for Dublin Mid-West, Deputy Ward worked in addiction services and said the Government should bring forward legislation. 

“What we’re looking to do is basically restrict that access to it,” he said. 

“To make it more difficult for this to be imported and sold… onto our young people.” 

The Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use is considering the impact of Ireland’s current drug laws and Deputy Ward said he is “looking forward to seeing what the Citizens’ Assembly come out and say”.

Main image: Discarded Nitrous Oxide canisters, also known as Laughing Gas on a street. Picture by: Alamy.com