France, Nov. 30 -- Nitrous oxide is sold in high street catering shops, primarily for use in whipped-cream dispensers - but inhaling the gas has euphoric effects.Users, often young people, fill balloons with the gas - also used in hospitals by anaesthetists - inhale it and then throw the container away.

Measures to restrict its consumption have already been taken in France. In 2021, the sale of nitrous oxide was banned for minors. And since early 2024, the quantity that can be sold has been limited.Dijon, Cannes, Lyon and Roubaix have already banned its consumption in public and restricted sales.

But this has not prevented a market - aimed at younger people - from developing. The appeal for young people

In 2022, according to a study by...