Germany bans sale of laughing gas to minors
Minors in Germany will no longer be able to purchase nitrous oxide after the country's lawmakers voted to ban its sale to them. The new rules also forbid online transactions and the use of self-service vending machines for distribution.
- Health
- DPA
- Published Date: 02:03 | 14 November 2025
German lawmakers have banned the sale of nitrous oxide to minors, with online purchases and self-service vending machines to be prohibited.
A bill was passed in a late-night session of the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, on Thursday.
Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is particularly popular as a party drug among teenagers and young adults. It can be bought in cartridges and inhaled through balloons.
It has an euphoric effect, but consumption is associated with high risks. These range from dizziness and fainting to hallucinations and permanent damage to the nervous system.
Health officials have reported an uptick in poisonings from nitrous oxide in the past years, with conservative lawmaker Hans Theiss warning on Thursday that the substance is "devilish" for young people.
There are also exceptions to the ban on nitrous oxide: smaller cartridges with a maximum capacity of 8.4 grams will continue to be permitted for adult buyers because they are used, among other things, to whip cream.
The bill also targets the chemicals gamma-butyrolactone (GBO) and 1,4-Butanediol (BDO), known as "knockout drops" as they can be used by criminals to make victims lose consciousness in order to carry out sexual offences or robberies.
High doses of the substances are to be banned, although industrial use in smaller doses will remain permitted under certain conditions.
A bill was passed in a late-night session of the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, on Thursday.
Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is particularly popular as a party drug among teenagers and young adults. It can be bought in cartridges and inhaled through balloons.
It has an euphoric effect, but consumption is associated with high risks. These range from dizziness and fainting to hallucinations and permanent damage to the nervous system.
Health officials have reported an uptick in poisonings from nitrous oxide in the past years, with conservative lawmaker Hans Theiss warning on Thursday that the substance is "devilish" for young people.
There are also exceptions to the ban on nitrous oxide: smaller cartridges with a maximum capacity of 8.4 grams will continue to be permitted for adult buyers because they are used, among other things, to whip cream.
The bill also targets the chemicals gamma-butyrolactone (GBO) and 1,4-Butanediol (BDO), known as "knockout drops" as they can be used by criminals to make victims lose consciousness in order to carry out sexual offences or robberies.
High doses of the substances are to be banned, although industrial use in smaller doses will remain permitted under certain conditions.
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