Netherlands sees rise in laughing gas poisonings despite 2023 recreational ban
Fewer people in the Netherlands are using nitrous oxide since it was banned as a recreational drug in 2023, but the number of poisonings and addiction treatments continues to rise, according to new figures from the National Poison Information Center.
National use has fallen since the ban took effect, restricting nitrous oxide to technical and medical uses such as whipped cream dispensers and dental anesthesia. But experts say a smaller group of heavy users is suffering increasingly serious health consequences.
The number of people treated for nitrous oxide addiction rose from 24 in 2019 to 218 last year. Poisonings have also increased for three straight years, from 23 cases in 2023 to 48 in 2024 and 61 cases in the first nine months of 2025.
Alex van Dongen, a prevention and addiction specialist at Novadic-Kentron, said the dangers were underestimated when nitrous oxide was widely available. “In 2016, it was legal and available almost everywhere. That led people to think it wasn't very harmful. We've clearly been mistaken about that,” he told EenVandaag.
Van Dongen said prolonged use can cause vitamin B12 deficiency, leading to tingling in the arms and legs. “Organs can fail, and people have suffered spinal cord injuries, among other things,” he said.
Experts say the problem is concentrated among a relatively small group whose consumption has intensified. Van Dongen said many users are difficult to reach because addiction causes them to lose track of time and miss appointments.
“I know of one person who scheduled 15 appointments and didn't show up once,” he said. Without those appointments, patients cannot be referred for treatment, and the same problem often affects follow-up care.
Youth worker Randal Thorpe said addiction among young people has become more severe. “And that's partly because of the times we're living in,” he told EenVandaag. “Social media doesn't help. There's so much negativity there that people want to escape reality and take a balloon. Then one balloon becomes two.”
Thorpe said stronger anti-drug campaigns and more opportunities for sports and other activities could help young people struggling with addiction.
Former addict Joël Carrot told the program that he became dependent on nitrous oxide six years ago and at one point used five or six tanks a day, with each tank filling roughly 250 balloons. “I couldn't function without using it,” he said. “It kept getting worse, and I felt like a failure.”
“It starts out fun, but eventually you're not laughing anymore. It's really dangerous stuff,” he said. He described nitrous oxide as “a silent killer." Carrot later developed neurological symptoms. “I started losing feeling in my arms and legs. One morning I got into the shower and my legs literally gave out beneath me,” he said.
His doctor immediately referred him to a hospital. The experience prompted him to seek treatment, and he has since overcome his addiction. “I've fallen 100 times, but I got back up 101 times,” he said. “I'm proud of that.”
