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| The Ministry of Environment is set to ban the inhalation of nitrous oxide -- better known as laughing gas. / Courtesy of Pixabay |
By Lee Han-soo
The Ministry of Environment is set to ban the inhalation of nitrous oxide -- better known as laughing gas.
It said it will announce legislation this month that designates the gas as a hallucinogen, bans inhalation for non-medical purposes and stops its sale for entertainment.
The legislation comes after the death of a man in Suwon from inhaling too much nitrous oxide from a balloon -- also known as a "happy balloon" -- in April.
Selling and buying nitrous oxide now does not violate Korean law, according to police.
Nitrous oxide is a colorless, sweet-tasting gas that has been mainly used medically. Doctors and dentists use it as an anesthetic, a tranquilizer and a painkiller.
More Koreans are inhaling nitrous oxide from happy balloons at parties to experience euphoria.
The balloons are priced at 2,000 won ($1.75) and can be easily bought.
Experts say overuse of the gas can lead to oxygen deprivation, resulting in a blood pressure drop, fainting and even a heart attack. Some studies suggest that people might develop a dependence.
"Many people inhale happy balloons after consuming alcohol," an anesthesiology professor from Ajou University told the Chosun Ilbo, a Korean news outlet. "Nitrous oxide can increase the risk of oxygen deprivation as alcohol damages one's respiratory triggering function."
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