Inside deadly ‘Whippets' epidemic which leaves victims brain damaged and incontinent… as dangerous craze spreads to UK

The Sun

3 days ago

LURED in with child-like fruity flavours, a dangerous party drug has left a trail of destruction in the US - with fears it could spread to the UK.
Known as whippets, canisters of nitrous oxide can legally be bought in shops - and in many states, children are able to buy the poisonous gas.
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Nitrous oxide - also known as NOS - is most commonly inhaled via a balloon, but youngsters are now buying flavoured whipped cream canisters and inhaling them directly from the nozzle.
Rather than 8g metal canisters littering the streets, whopping cans contain as much of 2kg of gas - meaning users can inhale massive quantities.
The most notorious brand in the US is Galaxy Gas - which comes in child-friendly flavours such as mango smoothie, blueberry, strawberry cream and vanilla cupcake - similar to the marketing of disposable vapes.
It became wildly popular among American teens, peaking last year when it was widely glorified in rap videos and social media clips.
Footage of a user inhaling Galaxy Gas racked up 40million views - and inspired countless copycats.
A viral song titled "Whippets" is available to watch on YouTube - showing youngsters bragging about their use of Galaxy Gas and repeatedly inhaling from the huge canisters.
Although the canisters are intended for food use, guests have also tried it on the Joe Rogan podcast and Kanye West has spoken about his addiction to the substance.
After furious backlash, the brand has withdrawn its products from the market and is now only available from a very limited selection of stores - but others are replacing it.
In 2023, the UK government made nitrous oxide a Class C drug - but it's mostly failed to rid the streets of discarded metallic canisters.
Balloon-huffing revellers still openly inhale at festivals, parties and in the streets.
Laughing gas 'epidemic' sweeping party island with tourists left foaming at mouth, having seizures & permanently scarred
In serious cases, users have become heavily addicted to the high and left needing rehab or hospital treatment after racing through as many as 15 canisters per day.
But in the US, possession of nitrous oxide is legal - and authorities are struggling to crack down on the deadly craze.
Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 58 per cent surge in reports of exposure to nitrous oxide in America according to official data.
The number of deaths from nitrous oxide also rose by a staggering 110 per cent from 2019 to 2023.
Rachel Kelly, from Chicago, inhaled so much nitrous oxide straight out of the canister every day that parts of her brain died and she was left in a wheelchair.
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She first tried the substance aged 21 and by 2023 the 29-year-old was paying $220 a day to inhale eight two-litre tanks.
Rachel said "everyone" was using the drug and it was easy to buy at a local convenience store.
But her habit left her in hospital unable to go to the toilet or walk on her own - forcing her to spend a month in a rehabilitation centre.
Jordan Micu, 30, from North Carolina, was also left suffering seizures after getting hooked on the canisters as a 21-year-old college student.
In the US, shops often offer deals and colourful canisters can easily be found in smoke shops - despite their intended use for food production.
Imyouski, 22, told GQ: "It's like an epidemic, all the young folks are on them.
"It's too obtainable, I could literally drive down the street right now and go grab me how many I want."
And in the UK, canisters are also widely available to purchase online.
A range of brands have emerged with similar whacky flavours and bright marketing available online in the UK.
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"Baking Bad" and "Miami Magic", both cream charger brands available online in the UK, have recently released new flavoured ranges.
Baking Bad offers candy, strawberry, blueberry mango and watermelon lemon flavoured gas.
Miami Magic, meanwhile, boasts rainbow, watermelon, blue raspberry and strawberry guava editions.
The fruit combo flavours in particular are similar to many vapes that have hit the market in recent years.
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, founder and director of drugs education charity the DSM foundation, told The Sun: "I googled nitrous oxide in the UK and it came up with a whole load of places you can buy it.
"These social media trends or videos that go viral and are seen by loads of people.
"It's a concern, it's always a concern. They're being marketed with cartoon characters, GTA imaging on the outside of canisters.
"They're obviously being marketed to appeal for young people and not for its intended use."
I think young people just see it as a bit of fun at first but then use it for self-medication for depression and anxiety
Dan Gibbons
Fiona, a member of the government's advisory council on the misuse of drugs, added: "Things that come from the states and social media, there can be so many influences in terms of the decisions young people make.
"The exposure that young people have to drugs on social media is something I am concerned about."
Dan Gibbons, from UK-based solvent abuse charity Re-Solv, told The Sun: "Galaxy Gas has not come across our radar as much in the UK but you can get it here.
"I think young people just see it as a bit of fun at first but then use it for self-medication for depression and anxiety."
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He said he wouldn't be surprised if the huge canisters start to make an appearance at British festivals after being heavily promoted online in the US.
Dan says Re-Solve has even seen an increase in referrals for laughing gas addiction since the government ban was imposed.
Dr Gail Saltz told us: "There are teens who have suffered permanent neurological loss as a result of this behaviour.
"And it certainly can kill you."
The doctor explained that inhaling the gas can lead to a range of very serious medical problems - and even death in the most severe cases.
She explained: "When you inhale high pressure nitrous oxide, you are not getting any oxygen to the brain - so that's oxygen depravation.
"And that can cause a heart attack, a stroke, injury to the brain.
"More persistent use can lead to other issues such as B12 deficiency, anaemia, and other neurological problems."
Meg Caldwell, a horse rider from Florida, started using nitrous oxide recreationally while at university.
But her usage got heavier to the point it "started ruining her life".
After an overdose, Meg, 29, temporarily lost use of her legs and was left incontinent, but carried on spending hundreds of dollars a day on the gas.
She died in November last year in a car park outside a vape shop.
Her sister Leigh Caldwell told Boston 25: "She would spend $300, $400 at a smoke shop in a day.
"Her whole life had become derailed due to her addiction to this drug."
Another sister, Kathleen Dial, told the BBC: "She didn't think that it would hurt her because she was buying it in the smoke shop, so she thought she was using this substance legally."
Meg's family has now filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of nitrous oxide and seven Florida smoke shops to stop retail sales of the drug.
Galaxy Gas is named in the lawsuit.
Drug addiction counsellor Kim Castro said that she's had four clients who have died from nitrous oxide poisoning.
She told Boston 25: "You really don't know when you'll stop breathing, when you'll lose consciousness, when your body will stop functioning. It's pretty scary."
In March, the FDA released a warning advising consumers not to inhale nitrous oxide products, including Galaxy Gas and other brands.
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Dr Saltz said that sucking laughing gas to get high is not a new phenomenon, but there's been a surge in the past three to five years thanks to a "new twist" in the market.
She said: "The new addition in recent years is flavours, which has made it more appealing to younger and younger people.
"It seems like it's being literally marketed to this group of people. It makes it seem not dangerous and more innocuous."
The doc agrees that social media has supercharged the spread of the drug amongst youngsters - allowing it to be glorified, but also popularising "challenges" involving the gas.
She also warned of the danger of "copycat companies" who have "caught onto the fact that young people will buy this and use it for abuse".
The doctor insisted there are some obvious ways to fight back against the gas falling into teens' hands.
She said: "Selling to underage individuals is something that is frequently abused - and that of course shouldn't be happening.
"We should be putting more warnings on the packaging so that the adult who is buying it is warned - because they may not realise what their teen is actually asking for.
"And I wish that the companies would not be able to market to young people.
"Once you've identified something as used for abuse, governments should have the ability to say to a company: 'This is what you can do, this is what you can't do.' For the greater societal good."
Dr Saltz also explained that laughing gas is "easier to hide than abuse of many other things".
She said: "It has no smell, it seems innocuous because it can be used for food preparation. It's not expensive, and the high is short."
Ibiza laughing gas 'epidemic'
By Patrick Harrington, foreign news reporter
BRIT tourists have been suffering seizures, foaming at the mouth and left permanently scarred after inhaling toxic drugs on the streets of Ibiza.
Armed with industrial-sized canisters of nitrous oxide, determined dealers roam the infamous San Antonio party strip - targeting Brits as "easy prey".
But the Class C drug can cause a range of health issues - and in some cases can even be fatal.
In the UK, the gas is most commonly sold in small canisters which deliver a single dose - enough to fill one balloon.
But dealers in San Antonio are armed with huge canisters that pump out up to 80 hits - and come in boxes of six.
At the going rate of five euros a balloon, the street value of a six-pack of canisters is around £2,000 - and they're strewn across the town.
When The Sun visited the notorious strip, our reporter was hounded and followed down the street by dealers.
Katie Mae, a bartender at Irish pub Shenanigans on the town's main strip, said laughing gas is 'the worst of them all'.
The 21-year-old told The Sun: "I'll lecture anyone I see taking it - I've seen the worst things from laughing gas.
'I've seen young lads having seizures on the street and foaming at the mouths, but their friends are high so do nothing to help."
One British bar worker living in San Antonio told us she used to sell laughing gas here, but stopped after one of her customers 'nearly died'.
The Brit said she got 'freaked out' when a young lad fell backwards and smashed his head on the road in the midst of a balloon high.