Two states just banned retail whippets — and inhalants are quietly becoming the next state-policy battleground

Tennessee passed SB1843 in January, banning recreational retail sale of nitrous oxide effective July 1, 2026. Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson signed similar legislation in March, banning retail sale of products marketed under names including “Galaxy Gas.” Both bills carve out exemptions for medical, dental, culinary, and automotive uses. Both are state responses to a category that addiction medicine has spent two decades not really paying attention to.

The data the bans are responding to

US deaths associated with nitrous oxide misuse rose roughly 600% from 2010 to 2023, according to a 2025 study referenced across the legislative record. Michigan poison control reported a 533% increase in calls between 2019 and 2023; emergency room visits for the same indication rose 757%. Yale neurologists have documented the neurological injuries — vitamin B12 depletion, spinal cord injury, peripheral neuropathy — and noted that early treatment can reverse some of them. The marketing of products in fruit-flavored canisters under names like “Galaxy Gas” is the part that has moved state legislatures from indifference to action: this is not the medical-grade nitrous of dental offices, and it is not being purchased by adults seeking a legitimate culinary use.

Why this matters for people in recovery

Inhalants are often invisible in standard addiction conversations, which makes it harder for parents, school staff, and clinicians to recognize what they are seeing. The state-level policy moment is also a public-awareness moment. If you are a parent or family member, the visible signs — empty canisters, cartridge boxes, balloons — are worth knowing about. If you are in recovery yourself, inhalants are a category that does not show on most drug screens and does not fit the standard MAT or counseling frame, which means treatment plans need to be specific. See Rize’s inhalants resources and our family-facing guidance for next steps.