Latest news with #smokeshop
BBC News
7 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
How nitrous oxide became a deadly - but legal
Nitrous oxide – known colloquially as "laughing gas" – has many uses, from a painkiller during dental procedures to a whipping agent for canned whipped its euphoric side effects have long been known, the rise of vaping has helped create a perfect delivery vehicle for the gas - and a perfect recipe for an addiction, experts Caldwell's death wasn't horseback rider from Florida had started using nitrous oxide recreationally in university eight years ago. But like many young people, she started to use more heavily during the youngest of four sisters, she was was "the light of our lives," her sister Kathleen Dial told the Ms Caldwell's use continued to escalate, to the point that her addiction "started running her life".She temporarily lost use of her legs after an overdose, which also rendered her incontinent. Still, she continued to use, buying it in local smoke shops, inhaling it in the car park and then heading straight back into the shop to buy more. She sometimes spent hundreds of dollars a died last November, in one of those car parks just outside a vape shop."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," Ms Dial progression of Ms Caldwell's addiction – from youthful misuse to life-threatening compulsion – has become increasingly common. The Annual Report of America's Poison Centers found there was a 58 % increase in reports of intentional exposure to nitrous oxide in the US between 2023-2024. What is nitrous oxide and how dangerous is it?'Daily use of laughing gas left me in a wheelchair'In a worst-case scenario, inhalation of nitrous oxide can lead to hypoxia, where the brain does not get enough oxygen. This can result in death. Regular inhalation can also lead to a Vitamin B12 deficiency which can cause nerve damage, degradation of the spinal column and even paralysis. The number of deaths attributed to nitrous oxide poisonings rose by more than 110% between 2019 and 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and of nitrous oxide was criminalised in the UK in 2023 after misuse among young people increased during the pandemic. But while many states have also outlawed the recreational use of the product in the US, it is still legal to sell as a culinary product. Only Louisiana has totally banned the retail sale of the Gas, a major manufacturer, even offers recipes for dishes, including Chicken Satay with Peanut Chili Foam and Watermelon Gazpacho on their website. With flavours like Blue Raspberry or Strawberries and Cream, experts warn this loophole - as well as major changes in packaging and retail - has contributed to the rise in recently users would take single-use plain metal canisters weighing around 8g and inhale the gas using a balloon. But when usage spiked during the pandemic, nitrous oxide manufacturers began selling much larger canisters online – as large as 2kg – and, eventually, in shops selling electronic vapes and other smoking also began to package the gas in bright colourful canisters with designs featuring characters from computer games and television Aussem, of the Partnership to End Addiction, believes these developments are behind increased misuse:"Even being called Galaxy Gas or Miami Magic is marketing," she said. "If you have large canisters, then it means that more people can try it and use it and that can lead to a lot of peer pressure."The BBC reached out for comment to both Galaxy Gas and Miami Magic but did not receive a response. Amazon, where the gas is sold online, has said they are aware of customers misusing nitrous oxide and that they are working to implement further safety measures. In a response to reporting from CBS News, the BBC's news partner in the US, Galaxy Gas maintained that the gas was intended for culinary use and that they include a message on their sites warning against about nitrous oxide misuse increased last year, after several videos of people using the product went viral social media, videos of young people getting high on gas became a trend. A video uploaded in July 2024 by an Atlanta-based fast-food restaurant featured a young man inhaling Strawberries and Cream flavoured nitrous oxide saying "My name's Lil T, man", his voice made deeper by the gas. To date the clip has been viewed about 40 million times and spawned thousands of also featured heavily in rap music videos and Twitch streaming. Guests tried it on the Joe Rogan Show and rappers including Ye (formerly Kanye West) spoke about abusing the substance publicly. Ye has since sued his dentist for "recklessly" supplying Ye with "dangerous amounts of nitrous oxide".In response to the trend, TikTok blocked searches for "galaxy gas," and redirected users to a message offering resources about substance use and addiction. Rapper SZA also alerted her social media followers about its harms and slammed it for "being MASS marketed to black children".In March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an official alert warning against inhaling the gas after it "observed an increase in reports of adverse events after inhalation of nitrous oxide products". The FDA told the BBC that it "continues to actively track adverse events related to nitrous oxide misuse and will take appropriate actions to protect the public health". But for some, these warnings came too 2023, the family of a 25-year-old woman, Marissa Politte successfully sued Nitrous Distributor United Brands for $745m in damages after the radiology technician was killed by a driver high on nitrous oxide. The jury found the company responsible for selling the product in the knowledge that it would be misused."Marissa Politte's death shouldn't have happened in the first place, but my God, it should be the last," Johnny Simon, the Politte family's lawyer, said at the time. In the years since there have been several fatal traffic accidents involving the gas both in the US and the Ms Caldwell's family have launched a class action lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of nitrous oxide, hoping to remove the product from retail sales across the US for good."The people who administer nitrous oxide in a dentist office now have to go through hours and hours of training, she said. "It just is crazy to me that the drug can be purchased in a smoke shop to anyone who goes in.""Unfortunately, it's become very obvious that the manufacturers and the owners of the smoke shops are not going to do the moral thing and take this off the shelves themselves," Ms Dial said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Clarksville Police searching for burglary suspect
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Clarksville Police Department is searching for a man accused of forcibly entering two smoke shops and taking merchandise. Officials said the man was involved in two separate burglaries, on May 2 and May 23, during which over $4,800 of THCA-based products were stolen. According to CPD the man is bearded and believed to be in his 20s to 30s. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Salazar at (931) 648-0656, ext. 5383, or the Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Tipsline at (931) 645-8477. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Oakland smoke shop busted for selling marijuana, flavored tobacco without license
OAKLAND, Calif. - Police shut down an Oakland smoke shop for the unlicensed sale of marijuana and tobacco products, authorities said. What we know Officers raided the shop in the 3500 block of International Boulevard last Thursday, where they confiscated marijuana and flavored tobacco products, according to the Oakland Police Department. Investigators found the business was operating without the required licenses and permits to sell cannabis or tobacco products. One man was cited for possession of a controlled substance. Authorities have not said whether he was the business owner. The case will be forwarded to the district attorney's office to determine whether to pursue criminal and civil charges. The Source Oakland Police Department
CBS News
12-05-2025
- CBS News
Man caught on video stealing nearly $4,000 in products from Miami-Dade smoke shop, owner says
Search on for man accused of stealing thousands from Miami-Dade smoke shop Search on for man accused of stealing thousands from Miami-Dade smoke shop Search on for man accused of stealing thousands from Miami-Dade smoke shop Surveillance video captured the moment a man calmly walked into a Southwest Miami-Dade smoke shop and allegedly stole nearly $4,000 worth of relaxation pills, according to the shop's owner. Targeted theft on Bird Road "He came in very nonchalantly as you can see in the video — very calm, looked around," said J.R., the owner of the shop near Bird Road and Southwest 73rd Avenue. The incident happened Sunday night around 11 p.m., J.R. said, while only one employee was working. "So he walked in, my employee was sitting there, she comes up to help him, grabbed one of the pill bottles and handed it to the customer," said J.R. The man then asked to see the entire box, which contained 30 packets of Roxy 7 Hydroxy, also known as relaxation pills. "He went out of his way to point directly to that specific product. It's $130 per packet — 30 packets — we're talking about, for me, that's about $3,900," J.R. said. Quick getaway caught on video The video shows the man holding the box and moments later walking straight out of the store with the products in hand. The employee quickly ran after him, but he managed to escape. "How do you feel? Angry, sad, disappointed, violated — had a slew of emotions last night, but I have to re-open and continue on," said J.R. Anyone with information about the theft is urged to contact the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
