Editing Inhalant (section)

=====Nitrous oxide=====
{{main|Recreational use of nitrous oxide}}

{{Unsourced section|date=June 2024}}

[[File:Big-ox-oxygen-canisters.png|thumb|right|The canister on the left is whipped cream, a product which is pressurized with nitrous oxide. The two canisters on the right contain 'flavoured' oxygen.]]

[[Nitrous oxide]] can be categorized as a dissociative drug, as it can cause visual and auditory hallucinations. Anesthetic gases used for surgery, such as nitrous oxide or [[enflurane]], are believed to induce anesthesia primarily by acting as [[NMDA receptor antagonist]]s, open-channel blockers that bind to the inside of the calcium channels on the outer surface of the [[neuron]], and provide high levels of NMDA receptor blockade for a short period of time.

This makes inhaled anesthetic gases different from other NMDA antagonists, such as [[ketamine]], which bind to a [[regulatory site]] on the NMDA-sensitive calcium transporter complex and provide slightly lower levels of NMDA blockade, but for a longer and much more predictable duration. This makes a deeper level of anesthesia achievable more easily using anesthetic gases but can also make them more dangerous than other drugs used for this purpose.
Nitrous oxide is thought to be particularly non-toxic, though heavy long-term use can lead to a variety of serious health problems linked to the destruction of [[vitamin B12]] and [[folic acid]].<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=12751548 |year=2003 |last1=Weimann |first1=J |title=Toxicity of nitrous oxide |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=47–61 |journal=Best Practice & Research. Clinical Anaesthesiology |doi=10.1053/bean.2002.0264}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=2240633 |year=1990 |last1=Koblin |first1=DD |last2=Tomerson |first2=BW |last3=Waldman |first3=FM |last4=Lampe |first4=GH |last5=Wauk |first5=LZ |last6=Eger |first6=EI II |title=Effect of nitrous oxide on folate and vitamin B12 metabolism in patients |volume=71 |issue=6 |pages=610–7 |journal=Anesthesia and Analgesia |doi=10.1213/00000539-199012000-00007|s2cid=13536219 }}</ref>

[[File:N2O whippets.jpg|thumb|right|Nitrous oxide "whippets" are small aerosol containers designed for charging whipped cream dispensers.]]

[[File:N2O cracker.jpg|thumb|right|A nitrous oxide "cracker" device, for releasing the gas from whipped cream aerosol chargers.]]

In the United States, possession of nitrous oxide is legal under federal law and is not subject to [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] purview.<ref name="ccle">{{cite web |url=http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/dll/N20_state_laws.htm |title=US Nitrous Oxide Laws (alphabetically) Based on a search of online free legal databases. Conducted May 2002 |publisher=Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics |access-date=30 July 2014 |archive-date=24 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124114346/http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/dll/N20_state_laws.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is, however, regulated by the [[Food and Drug Administration]] under the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act; prosecution is possible under its "misbranding" clauses, prohibiting the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide for the purpose of [[recreational drug use|human consumption as a recreational drug]]. Many states have laws regulating the possession, sale, and distribution of nitrous oxide. Such laws usually ban distribution to minors or limit the amount of nitrous oxide that may be sold without a special license.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} For example, in the state of California, possession for recreational use is prohibited and qualifies as a misdemeanor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/PEN/3/1/10/s381b |title=CAL. PEN. CODE § 381b : California Code – Section 381b |publisher=Lp.findlaw.com}}</ref> In New Zealand, the [[New Zealand Ministry of Health|Ministry of Health]] has warned that nitrous oxide is a prescription medicine, and its sale or possession without a prescription is an offense under the Medicines Act.<ref>{{cite news |last=Anderton |first=Jim |date=26 June 2005 |url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/time039s-sham-sales-laughing-gas |title=Time's up for sham sales of laughing gas |publisher=Beehive.govt.nz |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108015457/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/time039s-sham-sales-laughing-gas |archive-date=8 January 2015  }}</ref> This statement would seemingly prohibit all non-medicinal uses of the chemical, though it is implied that only recreational use will be legally targeted. In [[India]], for general anesthesia purposes, nitrous oxide is available as Nitrous Oxide IP. India's gas cylinder rules (1985) prohibit the transfer of gas from one cylinder to another for breathing purposes. Because India's Food & Drug Authority (FDA-India) rules state that transferring a drug from one container to another (refilling) is equivalent to manufacturing, anyone found doing so must possess a drug manufacturing license.