Forbach: The municipality bans the consumption of nitrous oxide, the euphoric gas, in public spaces

The City of Forbach has issued a decree banning the consumption of nitrous oxide in public spaces. Law enforcement regularly discovers empty canisters of this product, which has been diverted to euphoric gas. This is proof, according to the mayor, of the widespread use of the substance. "It's a scourge and a public health issue." Dozens of seized cartridges are piling up at the municipal police station.

Nitrous oxide canister seizures are a regular occurrence in the town of Forbach. This is a national phenomenon. Photo by Gaëlle Krähenbühl — Seizures of nitrous oxide canisters are a regular occurrence in the town of Forbach. The phenomenon is national. Photo: Gaëlle Krähenbühl

For several months, seizures of nitrous oxide canisters, a pressurizing gas used in food aerosols, have been increasing in the Forbach area. In recent years, the product's use has been diverted. Transferred into balloons for inhalation, it is said to have a euphoric and disinhibiting effect, similar to drunkenness. Nicknamed laughing gas, it is used as a recreational drug by a young population, sometimes minors. "It's a national scourge that is taking on worrying proportions on the...

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