EU urgently needs to label laughing gas as 'toxic'

MEP for Midlands–North-West, which includes Leitrim, Nina Carberry is calling on the European Commission to urgently step up EU-wide action on nitrous oxide, commonly known as ‘laughing gas’.

The Midlands Northwest MEP, is seeking that the EU formally recognise nitrous oxide as an emerging psychoactive substance of concern, incorporate it into the EU's Early Warning System and accelerate its classification under EU chemical safety rules.

Her call follows revelations that more than €8.6 million worth of the gas has been seized in Ireland since 2020.

Across the EU, Member States have reported a sharp rise in severe poisonings and deaths linked to the recreational use of nitrous oxide. In Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has previously found that one in four drug users at Irish festivals were using the substance.

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The drug has been linked to serious neurological complications, including spinal cord damage. While nitrous oxide is legally used in whipped cream canisters, food processing and dental practices, it is illegal in Ireland to sell it for human consumption. However, it remains widely available online and on social media platforms, with many large canisters ordered from or shipped through EU countries before reaching Ireland.

Speaking from Strasbourg, where she raised the issue with the European Commission this week, the Midlands North-West MEP said:

“We have all become familiar with local parks, side streets and even our main roads littered with discarded ‘silver bullets’ and ‘whippets’ that contained laughing gas.

“We need a serious crackdown. I am calling on the Commission to step up monitoring of nitrous oxide and bring it under the scope of the EU Drugs Agency. It should be included in the Early Warning System used to track emerging psychoactive substances before they cause further harm.

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“The Commission must also bring forward the planned 2027 classification of nitrous oxide as a reproductive toxic substance under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. Given the growing evidence of neurological harm and the speed at which misuse is increasing, we cannot afford to wait.

“At the same time, we need to enforce the EU’s digital rules, namely the Digital Services Act to curb and prevent online sales of nitrous oxide for recreational use, especially where children are being targeted.

“The first step is improved monitoring, but we must look to move forward with a common licensing system, in line with all EU countries. By fast-tracking the EU classification of this gas, it must be recognised as a dangerous substance under EU frameworks, making it more difficult to sell for recreational use," Carberry concluded.