Homer Glen board votes to ban nitrous oxide to prevent recreational use

Chicago Tribune

15-05-2025

The Homer Glen Village Board voted Wednesday to ban nitrous oxide sales after village officials learned some people buy the product in tobacco and vape stores for recreational drug use.
Nitrous oxide is a colorless, nonflammable gas that is used as an anesthetic, such as laughing gas, or to dispense whipped cream.
But flavored nitrous oxide canisters have become popular and offer a variety of different sized containers to purchase, village officials said. When inhaled, the user can get a euphoria or high.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning earlier this year that intentional misuse or inhalation can lead to serious problems including asphyxiation, blood clots, loss of consciousness, palpitations, paralysis, psychiatric disturbances and other adverse health effects.
Regularly inhaling nitrous oxide can lead to prolonged neurological effects, including spinal cord or brain damage, even after stopping the use, the FDA said. It can also lead to death, the FDA said.
'We don't need it in our village,' said Homer Glen Trustee Curt Mason, chair of the village's Public Services and Safety Committee. 'It's another addiction. It's another method for people to make money off the demise of our children, and it's not going to happen here.'
Nitrous oxide is sold under multiple brand names such as Galaxy Gas, MassGass, and Whip-it!, according to the FDA.
Village Manager Joe Baber said because of way it can be misused, it's concerning. Flavored nitrous oxide containers appear to be marketed to children, he said.
'We are trying to nip it before it becomes a problem in Homer Glen,' said Baber, who also chairs the village's Behavioral Health and Addiction Recovery Committee.
Homer Glen officials modeled their ordinance on the village of Manhattan, whose officials banned the sale of nitrous oxide containers last year.
Manhattan Village Administrator Jeff Wold said officers were concerned seeing nitrous oxide cartridges or canisters in cars during traffic stops, including teenaged drivers.
Officials found that the products were sold online on retailers such as Amazon and also next to cigarettes and vaping products in stores that aren't selling whipped cream, Wold said.
The Manhattan Village Board approved the ban on nitrous oxide sales in February 2024. Wold said the village sent tobacco and vape shops certified mail, and he spoke personally with the managers of the stores to let them know of the ordinance.
The village gave the stores a few weeks to remove the product from their shelves, and the village has not had an issue with compliance in the past year, Wold said.
The Will County Health Department does not have data on nitrous oxide usage.
'Nitrous oxide containers sold in tobacco/vape stores allows for easier access and this poses a threat to young people,' Dr. Kathleen Burke, the program coordinator for substance use initiatives at the Will County Health Department, said in a statement. 'They are able to purchase the containers and use the nitrous oxide to get high. Without preventing vape/tobacco stores from selling the product, it is very difficult to stop the misuse.'
In Homer Glen, liquor, tobacco and vape shops caught selling nitrous oxide would face a maximum fine of $500 for the first offense and could have their business license revoked if they were caught a second time, Baber said.
The Will County sheriff's office conducts compliance checks on liquor and tobacco stores to ensure they aren't selling items to underaged consumers, and officers could check they aren't selling nitrous oxide as well, Baber said.
Homer Glen Trustee Nicholas Muller, a sergeant with the Oak Forest Police Department, said banning the sales of nitrous oxide makes sense for the public health and safety of the village.
It was only recently that a man in his 20s who had used nitrous oxide was involved in a crash and hit a bus shelter near 159th Street and Cicero Avenue, Muller said. A few years ago, a teenager who had used nitrous oxide crashed into a tree, Muller said.
'You don't know what it will do to someone's mental state,' Muller said.