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You can see a lot of young people on TikTok right now, with balloons. What they inhale is nitrous oxide – misused as a party drug. The gas is poured into the balloons from cylinders and inhaled. The rapper Haftbefehl was already dazed on stage in front of his fans.
Not only in social media, but also in Frankfurt, nitrous oxide consumption is currently said to be going through the roof. Thousands of people cavort at the annual Museum Embankment Festival on the Main. Is nitrous oxide also consumed here? We meet with Sebastian Schedler. He is a drug counselor at SafePartyPeople. He, too, often has to deal with nitrous oxide, among other things, because the drug is cheap.
Sebastian Schedler, drug counsellor:
"For example here in Frankfurt, I can say that for 30, 35 € I can get my 50 to 70 balloons, depending on how much I eat. I don't need to have a lot of prior knowledge now. I have a balloon, I inhale this. It's relatively automatic inside me and the intoxication itself is over after a minute or two.«
However, we don't find people who take nitrous oxide as a party drug at the Museumsuferfest, we want to look around further:
Reporter:
"But this is probably not the scene where the laughing gas audience hangs out?"
Sebastian Schedler, drug counselor:
"Exactly, that is, at the edges of the playgrounds. Or, of course, the areas around Frankfurt's city centre on the Zeil, which is very busy on weekends, so to speak.«
Reporter:
"All right, then we'll go there right away."
Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen, a few hours later. We are out and about in the party district and will not only find empty cartridges here later. But let's take a step back: What is nitrous oxide and what does it do in the body?
Di-nitrogen-mono-xide is the technical term for nitrous oxide – an odourless and colourless substance. As a propellant, the gas is in spray cream cans. Since the 19th century, it has also been used as a painkiller and anesthetic, for example at the dentist. The gas is inhaled and passes through the lungs into the blood and from there into the brain. Here it blocks receptors that are responsible for keeping people awake. The consumer is sedated. Some actually get fits of laughter, as the gas also stimulates the diaphragm. Others describe the intoxication as foggy. Feelings of warmth and happiness can set in. The effect lasts only a few minutes.
So much for the theory. In the city center we meet Samanta. She tells us how she took nitrous oxide after partying with friends.
Samanta:
"They offered it to me and it's legal people and I thought to myself, yes why not – and then I tried it and honestly, I don't know if I should say that, but I had a lot of fun. But I wouldn't do it regularly, because – I don't know – if I do something regularly, I don't enjoy it that much. That's why I think it's okay to try things out and rarely do it with friends.«
Shortly before midnight in Sachsenhausen: Some kiosks here have nitrous oxide in their range. The owners don't want to talk in front of the camera, but two consumers do.
Reporter: "You just bought the bottle here at the Späti. And the balloons? Is it the first time?"
Consumer 1:
"More than once."
Reporter:
"And what effect does that have? How can you imagine that?«
Consumer 1:
"It makes your head shake a little, a little dizzy. Numb feeling.«
Consumer 2:
"It's something indescribable. You can't compare it to weed, you can't compare it to hash, you can't compare it to alcohol. It's something completely new and unique.«
Reporter:
"Well, you're inhaling this right now. Do you already notice this in your head? Or what's going to happen to you now?"
Consumer1:
"It's a slight tingling sensation to the point of dizziness. A feeling of numbness. The face is a bit paralyzed. That's fun. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it."
Reporter:
"But the laughter flash is not happening right now?"
Consumer 1:
"It's called nitrous oxide, but it doesn't necessarily make you laugh. So it's more of a numb feeling. Dizziness, disorientation more in that direction."
Reporter:
"Have you somehow dealt with what this does to your brain?"
Consumer 2:
"Absolutely. Brain cells die."
Consumer 1:
"A colleague of mine, for example, the other day, two or three weeks ago, is half paralyzed by the shit because his nerves have broken. We'll have to wait and see how his nerves react. Whether or not they become active again through therapy. But at the moment he's paralyzed on one side."
Reporter:
"But that doesn't scare you?"
Consumer 1:
"It happens to one in 1000. With cocaine, with weed, with anything, things can happen. Honestly, why not take it?"
In addition to facial paralysis, taking nitrous oxide can lead to nausea, dizziness and loss of consciousness due to a lack of oxygen in the brain. Frequent use can cause severe damage to the spinal cord and nervous system.
But that doesn't seem to be a deterrent: In Frankfurt, drug use among adolescents is documented by a study. It shows that nitrous oxide consumption among young people between the ages of 15 and 18 in Frankfurt is higher than ever before. In 2022, 17 percent of the 1,500 students surveyed said they had taken nitrous oxide at some point in their lives. In the previous year, the figure was 13 percent.
In Germany, the gas is legally available and it is marketed like a candy – colorful cartridges, flavors like strawberry or coconut. Own online shops for the young target group. Other countries have already restricted the sale and possession of nitrous oxide – but the head of the Frankfurt Drug Department, Artur Schroers, still does not think much of a ban on the substance.
Artur Schroers, Head of the Drug Department Frankfurt:
"There is a prohibition policy for cannabis use and yet the prevalence of cannabis use is increasing. However, we also see that there are other groups of substances that are also not used appropriately – for example, inhalants, i.e. where eagle owl and other adhesives such as Pattex are used. And you wouldn't ban them now."
Back at the Museum Embankment Festival at the Safe Party People booth. Above all, Schedler wants to educate people here. His advice: If you want to experiment with nitrous oxide, you should at least inform yourself well about the risks beforehand. Because even the short intoxication can lead to a crash in the long term.