The first case in which nitrous oxide was criminalized; it is commonly known as dinitrogen monoxide

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Recently, according to the police in Yunhe County, Zhejiang Province, under the guidance of the Anti-Drug Task Force of the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Department, a case related to \"laughing gas\" that was solved by the Yunhe police has been referred for prosecution. At present, the People’s Procuratorate of Yunhe County has filed a public prosecution in the People’s Court of Yunhe County against Lin and Yin, the suspects suspected of illegal business operations who were referred by the police. It is understood that this is the first criminal case in the country to address crimes related to \"laughing gas\". Investigations by a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily have revealed that currently, some sellers are rebranding \"laugh gas cartridges\" as \"airbags\" or \"cream gun consumables\" and continuing to sell them online. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as \"laughing gas,\" is a medical agent with a mild anesthetic effect. Nitrous oxide is also commonly found in the whipped cream balloons used in bakeries. It doesn’t make people laugh; rather, it causes the facial muscles to lose control, resulting in a strange, dazed-looking smile, which is why it’s called nitrous oxide. In recent years, \"laughing gas\" has become popular in bars, KTVs and other entertainment venues across the country; it is even used by drug users as a substitute for drugs, with some people consuming hundreds or even thousands of bottles per day. However, excessive use of \"laughing gas\" can cause mental illnesses and even death. Since the beginning of this year, hospitals in cities such as Hangzhou and Ningbo have treated cases of people going insane due to the use of \"laughing gas,\" as well as cases where long-term use of this substance led to addiction and paralysis of the legs, forcing patients to come to the hospital in wheelchairs. The Yunhe police stated that in Yunhe County, the abuse of \"laughing gas\" in entertainment venues is similar to that seen across the country. Not only do drug users often use laughing gas as a substitute for drugs to avoid punishment, but there is also an increasing trend of teenagers using it, resulting in a very serious situation. “The “toxicity” of “laughing gas” is comparable to that of poisonous drugs. To crack down on \"laughing gas,\" the Yunhe Police established a special task force. They arrested 9 suspects, including Lin, Yin, and Jiang, who were involved in the illegal distribution of laughing gas, at an internet cafe in the local area, an apartment in Qingtian County, and another internet cafe in Xiasha, Hangzhou. Laughing gas and mobile phones used in the crimes were seized on the spot. It was also determined that the amount of money they made from this illegal activity ranged from several thousand to hundreds of thousands of yuan. Under police interrogation, Lin and the other 9 suspects admitted to illegally selling \"laughing gas\" through shopping websites, WeChat Moments, and other channels, without having obtained a license to operate such gas. Upon investigation, the reporter found that this case was the first criminal case in the country to target \"laughing gas\" crimes. At present, China has not included \"laughing gas\" in the control lists for **drugs** or **substances**; it is also not listed in the **Catalogue of Drugs and Substances**. Instead, it is classified as an ordinary chemical in the **Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals** (2015 edition), with the safety aspects related to its production, transportation, and storage being supervised by departments such as those responsible for work safety. It is not practical to treat \"laughing gas\" as a narcotic, and there are also no specific legal regulations regarding its use in civilian applications. Regarding the buying and selling of \"laughing gas,\" due to the lack of relevant laws, authorities in various places can generally only rely on administrative measures or local regulations to order businesses to remove such products from sale. However, they are at a loss as to what to do regarding individuals selling \"laughing gas\". However, in accordance with Article 77 of the State Council’s Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals, those who engage in the business of hazardous chemicals without holding a license for such activities shall be ordered by the safety supervision authorities to cease their operations; the hazardous chemicals used in illegal activities as well as the illegal profits obtained shall be confiscated, and a fine of not less than 100,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan shall be imposed ； If a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law. This means that entities and individuals wishing to operate with nitrous oxide must first obtain a business license issued by the safety supervision authorities; otherwise, it constitutes illegal operation. The Yunhe police found that there was no precedent nationwide for classifying the operation of \"laughing gas\" without a business license as illegal business operations. After seeking guidance from higher authorities and holding numerous in-depth discussions with professionals from departments such as those responsible for work safety, prosecution, and the judiciary, the Yunhe police determined that the operation of nitrous oxide by entities and individuals without such a license constituted illegal business operations. Upon inspection, the \"laughing gas\" operated by Lin and others all belonged to the hazardous chemical dinitrogen monoxide. The Yunhe police promptly took criminal detention measures against Lin and two others, who were found to have committed the crime of illegal business operations, in accordance with the law; the remaining 6 individuals, who did not meet the criteria for criminal prosecution, were subjected to administrative detention. On November 27, the People’s Procuratorate of Yunhe County filed a prosecution against Lin and Yin, suspects accused of illegal business operations and referred by the Yunhe police, before the People’s Court of Yunhe County. Data shows that between 2006 and 2012, at least 17 people in the UK died as a result of inhaling laughing gas. To this end, the UK Medicines Act contains a clear ban prohibiting any individual from selling drugs containing nitrous oxide for inhalation without permission. Or if it is not supplied as prescribed, the penalty can be up to two years in prison and a fine of unlimited amount. Upon discovering the widespread circulation of nitrous oxide cylinders in Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare immediately decided to ban the production, distribution, and sale of all nitrous oxide for purposes other than medical use throughout Japan starting from February 18, 2016. A cream gun has two openings: one for insertion and one for exit. The laughing gas capsule is inserted into the gun through one of these openings; after that, it is poured into the balloon through the other opening, and thus a \"laughing balloon\" is created. Easy to make and with readily available materials, the \"laughing balloons\" became popular in bars, nightclubs, KTVs, and other places, attracting many curious young people. However, experts point out that excessive use of \"laughing gas\" can cause \"irreversible\" damage to the human body. Our newspaper has previously reported that some international students suffered serious health problems due to excessive use of laughing gas, and were forced to return home in wheelchairs. “The dangers of \"laughing gas balloons\" are gradually coming to light, and the relevant authorities are imposing increasingly strict regulations on the sale of such gas capsules. Currently, Baidu’s “Nitrous Oxide Bar” has been closed, and searching for keywords such as “nitrous oxide” or “gas cartridges” on the online marketplace also yields no results. However, reporters noticed that laughing gas pellets have not completely disappeared; some merchants are still selling such products by changing their names. On the forums, by searching for “nitrous gas balloons,” one can find many posts from sellers; these posts show boxes full of such balloons, as well as pictures of “balloons” made from nitrous gas balloons, along with WeChat contact information. After randomly adding a WeChat contact of a merchant from Zhejiang, the person replied that there are still many air balloons available for sale, most of which are sold to buyers who use them to make \"laughing balloons\". Among them, a type of milk-flavored bubble gum produced in Taiwan costs 35 yuan per box of 10 pieces, while a box containing 36 such boxes is priced at 1008 yuan. The seller said that although the price of these products is higher than last year’s, many people still buy them; it’s possible that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to purchase such air guns through regular online channels. ” When asked whether using \"laughing balloons\" is harmful, the seller replied that it isn’t very harmful, but added that it depends on an individual’s constitution; normally, about 3 packs should be used at a time, as using more than that can be too much. ”In addition to leaving pictures and WeChat IDs on forums, many online store owners secretly sell laughing gas capsules by changing their identities. The reporter noticed that by searching for “cream guns” on online shopping platforms and then asking customer service whether air guns used to make \"laughing balloons\" were available, one of the customer service representatives cautiously provided a WeChat ID, stating that once added, the various products and their prices could be seen. Some merchants rename the air bullets in their stores as “milk foam bags” or “cream gun consumables,” or replace them with similar terms such as “air bullets” and continue to sell them. Furthermore, during their investigations, the journalists noticed that most vendors avoided talking about the harms of using \"smile balloons,\" and even offered products such as cream guns and balloons used to make \"smile balloons\" as accessories to attract customers to make purchases.