The health ministry on Thursday classified recreational nitrous oxide, known as “laughing gas,” as a designated drug, banning its production, importation, sale, possession and use, effective Feb 28.
The ban will not apply to nitrous oxide used for medical and other legitimate purposes.
Nitrous oxide is used as an anesthetic agent but it has been sold online in canisters, often labeled as Sivagus, ostensibly for refilling bicycle tires, while actually being used as a recreational drug.
When inhaled, nitrous oxide causes a state of euphoria and relaxation, hence its nickname “laughing gas.”
A ministry official said regulation has become necessary because consumption of the gas can damage the central nervous system.
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