The nationwide ban on nitrous oxide, which has increasingly circulated as a party drug among children and adolescents, takes effect on April 12, 2026. This is stated in the proclamation published in the Federal Gazette. The purchase and possession will be prohibited for minors. Online trade and buying at vending machines will be banned. In addition, the availability of chemical knockout drops, used as “date-rape drugs,” will be restricted.
The law, drafted by Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU), had also been approved by Germany’s Federal Council in December. It would, however, provide for a three-month transition period from the proclamation to the entry into force of the new rules, to allow changes in retail and at vending machines.
The rationale behind the reforms is that nitrous oxide use poses significant health risks for minors, as Warken has stressed — including loss of consciousness and potentially lasting damage to the nervous system. People often inhale nitrous oxide, i.e., N2O, from balloons to achieve a quick euphoric effect.
Strict rules will also apply to the chemicals gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO). They are known as knockout drops that can be added to drinks.
Marcy Ellerton
