Discarded gas cartridges are already a part of everyday life at British festivals and on the streets of London. However, experts fear that the abuse of the fashionable drug nitrous oxide could reach epidemic proportions. The hospital admissions of young people are piling up.

Experts see dangers from excessive consumption of nitrous oxide in England. "Right now, my colleagues and I are seeing an 'epidemic' among young people being hospitalized for using nitrous oxide," said neurologist David Nicholl of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, who also educates on the topic on Tiktok According to broadcaster Sky News.

Regular consumption over a long period of time can lead to serious consequences, including neurological damage. "Some people who use this have no idea that just for a little laugh, they might stop walking for the rest of their lives," Nicholl warned. His colleague Nikos Evangelou from the University of Nottingham also spoke on Twitter of an "epidemic of spinal cord and nerve damage" caused by nitrous oxide.

Last year, according to crime statistics, nitrous oxide was the second most commonly used drug among 16 to 24 year olds. Users inhale the colorless gas via balloons or cartridges, which cost just £25 for an industrial size. Laughing gas is now widely used at British festivals. Discarded silver nitrous oxide cartridges are a common sight on the streets of London.

Despite some calls for the drug to be banned, possession of nitrous oxide remains legal in the UK. The sale of nitrous oxide, on the other hand, was banned under the Psychoactive Substances Act in 2016 because of its psychoactive effects.