Over 46,000 canisters of potentially lethal laughing gas seized so far this year

Canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, can be legally purchased as it has a legitimate use in the catering industry, but Revenue has the power to seize it where there are reasonable grounds to believe it is being imported with the intention of using it for illegitimate purposes. File picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

There has been a massive surge in seizures of potentially lethal nitrous oxide which is being widely misused by young people.

Revenue has seized 46,060 canisters in only the first eight months of this year, compared to 584 canisters in all of 2023, leading to calls for legislation before it is too late.

The extent of the recreational use of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas or hippy crack, is evident by the empty canisters that litter streets in cities and suburbs across the country.

Nitrous oxide can be legally purchased as it has a legitimate use in the catering industry, but Revenue has the power to seize it where there are reasonable grounds to believe it is being imported with the intention of using it for illegitimate purposes.

The huge sum of canisters seized this year was the result of just eight operations, with 10,800 canisters seized on May 30 and a further 8,640 on June 3. 

This indicates that the batches coming into the country are growing.

Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins said it is positive that Revenue is catching these imports, but it can be seen from the streets that only a fraction are being caught.

Parents need to be aware that many young people are purchasing nitrous oxide online, Ms Higgins warned.

"I do welcome that Amazon no longer sells it but some of these packages are arriving straight into family homes and it would be great if parents were on the lookout as well," she said.

'Cheap high'

Teenagers inhale the gas from metal canisters which can be purchased for €5 or less. 

The euphoric and numbing feeling many get from inhaling means the substance is perceived as a "cheap high".

Earlier this year, a 14-year-old girl had to be resuscitated and suffered extensive frostbite after inhaling the gas. 

In 2020, a 15-year-old Dublin boy died after taking the substance.

"Neurologists are saying that there can be severe effects on the heart, lungs, and brain. 

"Both young people and parents need to be made aware," said Ms Higgins.

While it used to be small silver canisters, known as bullets, that were the most commonly used by young people, there has been a move to larger industrial-scale sized ones, she said.

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said that because it can legally be purchased, some young people are under the impression that it is not as dangerous as other illegal drugs.

Mr Gould said he has been contacted by concerned parents from Cork, Clare, Galway, and other areas and has called for greater education around the dangers of nitrous oxide.

The Cork TD also suggested only allowing nitrous oxide to be sold for commercial use in Ireland and making it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy it.

The sale of psychoactive substances for human consumption, including nitrous oxide is prohibited and the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (Control of Nitrous Oxide) Bill 2023 is before the Seanad with the hope of plugging gaps in legislation currently being exploited.