It was two o'clock in the morning on the 1stis December, during the night from Saturday to Sunday, in Bourg-en-Bresse, when a police patrol checked a vehicle with four minors on board. The 17-year-old driver did have a driving license, but in the vehicle there were boxes containing several dozen canisters of nitrous oxide, better known as “laughing gas” or “proto”.
Poisonous substance
Nitrous oxide is prohibited for sale to minors, and its trade has been regulated since 2021, in view of an upsurge in misuse consisting of inhaling the gas through a balloon or a “cracker”. », a practice supposed to cause an immediate euphoric effect. The consumption of nitrous oxide, a product included on the list of poisonous substances, can cause asphyxiation, loss of consciousness, disorientation, dizziness, particularly when combined with other substances, drugs or alcohol. In case of repeated consumption or in high doses, the risks of severe neurological or cardiac disorders are amplified.
In police custody, the driver and one of the passengers admitted to having purchased these cylinders in the Lyon suburbs, with the intention of reselling the cylinders in the Burgundy area. The other two boys were exonerated. All of the merchandise was confiscated, and proceedings were opened for street sales.
