SUPER-SIZED nitrous oxide canisters boasting vape-style candy flavours are sparking a new wave of addiction - despite laughing gas being banned last year.
A Sun investigation found dozens of adverts on apps, including Instagram and TikTok, featuring colourful branding and marketing of new flavours which are clearly being aimed at young people.
Addicted users are reportedly blowing hundreds of pounds a week on the extra-large aluminium cylinders, which are 76 times bigger than the old bullet-like containers that littered high streets across Britain.
But experts have warned that the new 640g canisters – which cost up to £40 and can still be bought online and under the counter in certain areas - are proving more addictive than cocaine.
Some addicts are sucking the gas, also known as 'hippy crack', straight from the tube rather than using a balloon to limit the dose, as was common in the past.
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The results can be catastrophic, with people ending up in hospital, suffering from paralysis and mental health issues.
One young woman whose addiction left her in a wheelchair admits that since nitrous oxide was outlawed last November, she fears "being illegal has made it even more popular".
Companies are able to get around the latest rules by claiming they are selling the canisters for its legitimate purpose, which is making instant whipped cream.
Dr Niall Campbell, a consultant at the Priory hospital in London, told The Sun: “People don’t use the little silver cartridges anymore, that’s all in the past.
“These big blue canisters are the equivalent of about 76 of the little cartridges and everyone is using them.
“The guys that manufacture this – there are several companies that do this – twigged on that they can sell more and they know that young people aren’t making whipped cream with them.
“There are fruit-flavoured versions and God knows what that does to your lungs.
"There’s a big fad around this and it’s become fashionable."
Earlier this month, we reported a Premier League star has become the first footballer to go to rehab over laughing gas addiction.
The Government has also announced plans to crack down on fruity and colourful e-cigarettes, amid concerns their design is specifically targeting underage users.
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BREAKING THE BAN
Nitrous oxide was made a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act from November 8 last year.
This means it is now a criminal offence to be found in possession of laughing gas where its intended use is to be wrongfully inhaled to get high.
It was already an offence to import, supply and produce laughing gas, when the person knows it will be consumed for ‘psychoactive effects.’
But the law has been flouted for years and we can reveal that the drug is still widely available despite the new ban.
Our probe found one shameless firm - which uses photos of glamorous models to promote its supersized products - was even boasting on social media that it is trying to become the “largest distributor” of the drug.
Kerry-Anne Donaldson is confined to a wheelchair because of her nitrous oxide addiction, although she is now clean and campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers.
The 26-year-old, from east London said: “The ban has just made people a bit more discreet and hide their use more.
“I haven’t heard of anyone being arrested and I think nitrous oxide being illegal has made it even more popular.
“I have messages all the time from people saying their relative is inhaling and they don’t know how to help them.
“It’s very addictive. When you start you get a 10-second buzz and the more you do, the harder it is to feel that way - you keep chasing the same high.
“I started when I was 18 years old because I didn’t know the harm of it. I thought it was a little buzz and a bit of fun.
“Then, one morning, I woke up to find I couldn’t use my arms and I couldn’t walk.
“My older sister took me to hospital and they told me I had a B12 deficiency, a nitrous oxide overdose and nerve damage.”
I have messages all the time from people saying their relative is inhaling and they don’t know how to help them
Kerry-Anne Donaldson
Kerry-Anne relearned how to walk after taking B12 injections.
But she later relapsed and at her peak – in her early 20s - she was doing 600 of the old so-called whippet canisters a week.
She added: “The doctor says I now have permanent nerve damage and a disc bulge in my lower back that will be permanent unless I have an operation.
“I’m not working. Most of the time I’m at home and I don’t really go out anymore. If I do, I need someone with me that can push the wheelchair because my hands can’t do it.
“I am worried about the new supersized canisters as people that use them have no idea how much they are doing."
Nitrous oxide users risk falling unconscious or suffocating from a lack of oxygen.
The drug can spark anxiety attacks and can also cause a B12 vitamin deficiency leading to anaemia, nerve damage and spinal problems.
Dr Campbell works at the Priory's addiction unit and says they still receive a "steady number of young adults with significant problems as a result of nitrous oxide use".
He said: “I saw someone recently that lives in the Midlands and is now off laughing gas and he said, ‘Everyone is still mad for it’.
“He saw someone selling nitrous oxide from the back of a convenience store after the ban came into force.
“He found a warehouse that was selling them without any problem. It’s illegal but we also banned cocaine and ketamine and there seems to be plenty of that around.
“I’m concerned as it’s very toxic.
The guys making this stuff don’t give a damn. It’s all about selling and they don’t care. It's seen as a joke
Dr David Nicholl
"We look at how the addiction is affecting their physical, mental, relationship and work health and all those four things can suffer badly if you are regularly on nitrous.
“It starts off as a bit of a party and having a laugh but then these people become addicted to it and they are on their own puffing away on these cylinders.
“We had a 28-year-old woman recently from the West Country and she was using 18 canisters on her own on the weekend and doing it with cocaine.
“She was a young professional and enjoyed being in this anaesthetised state. She could no longer be in a relationship because her relationship was with nitrous oxide.
“She was paying £30 to £40 a canister so she was spending more on the nitrous than she did on the coke – and she was spending about £200 a week on coke.
“She was working remotely for an organisation and was on the computer all day and said she was at about 20 per cent efficiency, but no-one spotted it because she was working at home. She was using in the evening and binging on weekends."
'SELLERS DON'T GIVE A DAMN'
In 2019-20, when the last survey was carried out, 500,000 young people admitted taking laughing gas, making it the second most popular drug for people aged 16-24.
Dr David Nicholl is a Consultant Neurologist at Sandwell and West Birmingham hospitals, where they can see two nitrous oxide patients a week after big music festivals.
He said: “Laughing gas has always been around but the current trend is being driven by social media and the volume of use has gone up significantly.
“It’s hard to get accurate figures for how many we are treating. Patients tend to present a couple of weeks after they have been using so they may not connect their symptoms with why they are in A&E.
“I would say this is a problem in pretty much every major city and it is more common in the Muslim community – probably because it’s not perceived as a drug.
“I’ve heard about halal nitrous oxide being put on sale, but this is absolutely haram. You should not be harming your body by doing this, but it shows the cynicism of the people marketing this stuff.
“People haven’t got a clue what dose they are taking with the new canisters.
“Yet the guys making this stuff don’t give a damn. It’s all about selling and they don’t care. If it’s seen as a joke – literally laughing gas – they get away with it.
“Nitrous oxide isn’t for human consumption and some people can come to harm on just a small dose.
“It causes a functional deficit of the B12 vitamin and as a result your blood gets more sticky, which makes thrombotic events more likely. That could be a blood clot in your lungs or legs or in your brain.
People haven’t got a clue what dose they are taking with the new canisters
Dr David Nicholl
“We are seeing more and more young people turning up at hospital with these issues and it’s just tragic.”
The Sun contacted Instagram and TikTok, who removed the products and account promoting them flagged by our reporter.
It is against the rules of Meta - the parent company of Instagram - for people to buy, sell, trade, donate or solicit drugs on its platforms.
Similarly, content that depicts, promotes or offers the purchase, sale, or trade of drugs and other controlled substances, including nitrous oxide, violates TikTok's Community Guidelines.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “As promised in our Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, we have banned the possession of nitrous oxide to protect our communities.
'JUST A BIT OF FUN'
“It is an offence for a person to possess nitrous oxide for the purposes of inhaling it for its psychoactive effect and repeat serious users can face up to two years in prison, while dealers can face up to 14 years.”
For people like Kerry-Anne, the campaign against laughing gas is far from over.
She says: “I do wish I’d never seen a balloon, but I feel like this is something I had to go through to become stronger and campaign to help others.
“That’s why I’m determined to keep spreading awareness.
“Youngsters think laughing gas is just a bit of fun and they don’t know the harm it can do.
“My message would be, if you want to try it don’t, because it’s not worth your health. If you are taking them, you are going to have to learn the hard way like me.”
Follow Kerry-Anne Donald's awareness-raising journey on TikTok or Instagram.