Nitrous oxide is an increasingly popular party drug among young people, but it carries risks. In Regensburg the cartridges are even available in snack machines.
Regensburg – The city of Regensburg is certainly concerned. We're talking about side effects and addiction problems. The youth welfare office has also already intervened and held discussions, according to a statement to our editorial team. “From a youth protection perspective, however, there is no legal basis to regulate sales in general.”
It's about selling nitrous oxide. The substance, chemically known as nitrous oxide (N2O), is becoming increasingly popular, especially among young people. It is contained, for example, in cartridges for spray cream. There is talk on social media of a “high without regret” (which is not true).
Nitrous oxide from the snack machine: party drug with risks
In Regensburg, these cartridges are now also available in snack machines between chocolate bars, mini salamis and cola. Packed in threes with the simple sticker “Laughing Gas”, you pay five euros at a vending machine on Weißenburgerstrasse.
This is probably less evidence of the increasing consumption of spray cream. It is probably evidence of the fact that the hype surrounding the party drug is also increasing in Regensburg.
Only in March, for example, did the NDR report on a real nitrous oxide hype in Hamburg schools. Cartridges and balloons are sold at kiosks in the neighborhood. The short rush - 30 seconds to three minutes - is described as brief euphoria, dizziness, sometimes accompanied by fits of laughter or even hallucinations. But there are also risks – excessive use can even lead to suffocation.
Nitrous oxide from the snack machine: criticism on social media
Side effects include frostbite on the lips if you inhale the gas directly from the cartridge. Nerve and brain damage can also occur. In the Netherlands, where nitrous oxide was on its way to becoming the most popular drug among students, it was added to the list of banned intoxicants last year. Possession and sale have been prohibited there since 2023.
It is probably due to this background that the new machine is not met with undivided joy on social media. Photos with the laughing gas compartments and the inscription “WTF” (“What the Fuck”) are making the rounds on TikTok, for example.
(By the way: Our Regensburg newsletter informs you about all developments, news and stories from the world heritage city.)
Nitrous oxide from the snack machine: vending machine manufacturer reacts annoyed
Not only our editorial team was contacted several times, but also the manufacturer. People there react slightly annoyed when we get in touch too. “You are now the 'hundredth' person to write to us on this topic, but including the press you are probably not the last either,” a company spokesman tells us.
But they are only the manufacturer of the machine and have nothing to do with its contents. You have to contact the installer and operator.
Party drug laughing gas: freely available everywhere in Germany
In a telephone conversation with our editorial team, he points out that you can buy each of these capsules in “normal” stores – and he is right. Despite warnings from doctors and calls from police circles to only allow the sale of laughing gas from the age of 18, there are no restrictions in Germany.
Packs of ten are already available in supermarkets starting at five euros - even for young people. “For me you need at least proof of age and that’s only possible from the age of 18,” the machine operator told our editorial team.
He has no influence on whether older people then pass this on to younger people. But that also applies to e-cigarettes or alcohol. In the end, as an entrepreneur you have to look at what sells well. That is not reprehensible either.