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Bill would require age verification for online sales of nitrous oxide canisters; testimony urges broader restrictions
Summary
House Bill 3447 would require online sellers to verify buyers are at least 18 before completing sales of nitrous oxide canisters, a measure its sponsor said is intended to curb easy youth access to products used recreationally.
Chair Taylor opened the hearing on House Bill 3447, which the sponsor described as requiring retail sellers using online/electronic systems to verify that buyers are 18 or older for sales of nitrous oxide canisters on or after Jan. 1, 2026. The bill came to the committee from the House with a reported floor vote of 57 aye, 1 nay and 2 excused.
Representative Emily McIntyre, sponsor of the bill, told the committee she supports the measure and would welcome more stringent language. She said online sales currently include no age verification and that teenagers can order large canisters or small “whippets” online with home delivery. “The bill makes it so if you order online nitrous oxide, you have to get carded,” she told the committee.
Lori Huntley of Eagle Point testified she has a son recovering from nitrous-oxide-related injury and urged stronger restrictions. Huntley described her son’s medical condition: “Our son, Austin, age 38, has difficulty walking, as well as numbness in all of his extremities. The central nervous system along the spine loses its sheath that surrounds the nerve.” Huntley said the family has bank records she said show repeated purchases and that product labels warn ingestion can be deadly. She urged lawmakers to adopt more aggressive regulation.
Committee members asked practical questions about how the product is consumed and how retail sales and delivery work. Senator Hayden and others discussed the possibility of raising the minimum purchase age to 21 and aligning this bill with past legislation aimed at similar products, such as legislation raising age limits for other inhalants. Representative McIntyre said she would be willing to consider a 21-year-old threshold and to work on an amendment; committee members agreed to attempt drafting an amendment and scheduled a work session for the following Tuesday, while acknowledging the amendment might require concurrence from the House if enacted by the Senate.
Ending: The public hearing closed with committee members signaling interest in further language and potential amendments to raise the age or extend restrictions to in-store sales; no committee vote occurred at the hearing.
