Health committee adopts substitute to ban flavored nitrous oxide sales

The Health Committee voted Feb. 26, 2025, to adopt a substitute to legislation carried as HB 245 and SB 78 that would ban retail sales of flavored nitrous oxide products often sold as "galaxy gas," make unlawful sale a class D felony and unlawful possession a class A misdemeanor, and set a minimum age of 21 for possession under the bill's exemptions for medical, manufacturing, food service and automotive uses.

Why it matters: Committee members said the products are widely available at convenience stores and online, are being used by young people in social-media videos, and are presenting public-health and public-safety concerns. Supporters described cases of addiction and litter around college campuses; opponents and some members pressed for narrow language to avoid blocking legitimate commercial or training uses.

The substitute: Senator Weaver, who spoke to committee members before the vote, said the substitute expands the bill from an age-restriction proposal to an across-the-board retail ban on flavored nitrous oxide. "My child is addicted to galaxy gas, which…