{"id":3415,"date":"2026-02-06T17:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T00:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/hansen\/?p=3415"},"modified":"2026-02-06T17:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T00:15:11","slug":"banning-the-retail-sale-of-dangerous-nitrous-oxide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/hansen\/2026\/02\/06\/banning-the-retail-sale-of-dangerous-nitrous-oxide\/","title":{"rendered":"Banning the retail sale of dangerous nitrous oxide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear friends and neighbors,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A bill\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0working on this\u00a0session\u00a0at the request of the Suquamish Tribe\u00a0would ban the retail sale of nitrous oxide\u00a0(sometimes known as Galaxy Gas\u00a0or whippets).\u00a0Similar to\u00a0ta<\/span>ctics seen in the\u00a0tobacco\u00a0industry, colorful and flashy marketing and packaging of the product\u00a0are\u00a0resulting\u00a0in a surge in popularity among younger users.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The number of annual deaths associated with nitrous oxide misuse\u00a0has\u00a0skyrocketed\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0nearly\u00a0600%\u00a0from 2010\u00a0to\u00a02023, according to a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>2025\u00a0study<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>Another\u00a0<\/span>analysis<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>found emergency medical visits for nitrous oxide misuse in Michigan jumped four to five times from 2019 to 2023.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had no idea\u00a0how\u00a0big\u00a0of a problem this was until\u00a0the Suquamish Tribe reached out; from there, I\u00a0started\u00a0learning\u00a0about the harm caused by the unchecked availability of\u00a0these\u00a0products\u00a0in gas stations\u00a0and\u00a0convenience stores<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>A UW student who visited me early in session told me that students get nitrous oxide delivered to their dorm rooms; another student reached out and told me about a classmate who was paralyzed after inhaling nitrous oxide.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u00a0<\/span>issued a warning<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>that intentional misuse of nitrous oxide can lead to serious adverse health events,\u00a0including blood clots, trouble walking, vitamin B12 deficiency, and in some cases, death.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0long past time to ban the retail sale of nitrous oxide in our state.\u00a0Many states have\u00a0already\u00a0passed laws to protect consumers by regulating the sale or possession of nitrous oxide for recreational use.\u00a0I hope our state is\u00a0next.\u00a0(The bill\u00a0includes exemptions\u00a0for medical, dental, culinary, and automotive uses.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

HB 2532<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0advanced\u00a0out of committee and awaits consideration\u00a0by the full House.\u00a0Check out this\u00a0<\/span>KGW story<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0legislation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fighting federal overreach<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are working hard to push back against federal overreach in every way possible to protect the rights of all people\u00a0in Washington State.\u00a0Here are a few of the bills\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0already\u00a0passed off the Senate floor\u00a0that\u00a0await\u00a0consideration in the House:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n