“Seizures of this substance are constrained to very limited geographical areas and cannot yet be considered a national phenomenon. However, there has been a more significant record in the districts of Porto, Faro, Setúbal, and Lisbon,” the GNR stated in response to questions.
Provisional data from the GNR indicates that this year, up to March 4, 1,546 canisters have been seized, which is 1,339 more than the entire year of 2024, where the total was 207, representing an increase of 646%, or 7.47 times more.
According to the figures provided, the seizures of nitrous oxide canisters—a psychoactive substance that causes rapid but short-lived effects of euphoria, relaxation, calm, and dissociation from reality—have been increasing since 2022, the year when 162 canisters were seized along with 42 capsules containing the ‘laughing gas,’ which is inhaled via a balloon.
In 2023, the number of canister seizures rose to 175, and last year it increased to 207, mentioned the authority that has been monitoring the emergence of nitrous oxide outside the permitted context.
The consumption of this substance has also been a concern for the PSP, which in 2021 issued an alert to reinforce measures for controlling the sale and consumption of this gas, which was included in the list of new prohibited psychoactive substances in 2022.
In 2022, the PSP made 173 seizures of nitrous oxide (canisters or balloons), 69 in 2023, and 152 last year, according to recently provided data.
The PSP warns that the continued use of nitrous oxide, identified recently in recreational contexts, can, in the long run, cause serious damage to the immune system, memory alterations, among other neurological damages.
“This gas, odorless and colorless, has become a popular drug at parties and in nighttime entertainment contexts. It can be inhaled through balloons or cartridges sold for culinary purposes, like those found in ‘whipped cream’ containers,” the PSP notes.
The GNR also observes that nitrous oxide is a product used in manufacturing industries, the automobile and food sectors, and in hospital and pharmaceutical industries, with no legally identified situations where direct human consumption is permitted, except for medical-hospital use under professional supervision.
“Indeed, being a legal substance, and despite control over its circuit when used in larger quantities, nitrous oxide, due to its versatile applications across various economic sectors, is available for purchase in smaller quantities through several online platforms,” it highlights.
According to the authority, nitrous oxide is primarily obtained online, “but its market size and scale are still under study.”
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has been warning about the increasing use of ‘laughing gas’ by young people in recreational settings, which has been linked to various health problems, including poisonings, burns, lung injuries, and, in some prolonged exposure cases, neurological injuries.
Hospitals have reported these cases to the National Poison Information Centre (CIAV) of INEM, which has registered 21 incidents since 2020, the majority involving males aged 20 to 29, stated CIAV coordinator Fátima Rato.
In 2020, there were three cases reported, four in 2021, one in 2022. No cases were registered in 2023, and in 2024 there were eight. In the first two months of this year, five intoxications due to this gas have already been reported, according to Fátima Rato.
