Costa Mesa police seize hundreds of nitrous oxide canisters at local smoke shops
Following a recent ban, the Costa Mesa Police Department seized hundreds of large fruit-flavored nitrous oxide cylinders and thousands of small chargers from local smoke shops.
The owners are accused of improperly selling the gas.
"There is no reason for a smoke shop, as an example, to sell nitrous oxide," Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said. "They are hoping that people will buy the nitrous oxide for personal human inhalation so that they can get high, that's the only reason."
Foley wanted an ordinance to ban the sale of nitrous oxide in the unincorporated part of the county to protect the public. The ordinance passed on Tuesday.
Nitrus oxide has legal uses, but among the confiscated items from Costa Mesa were boxes labeled "Galaxy Gas," which officers claim customers inhale, sometimes with deadly consequences.
In Orange, three people were killed when a driver smashed into a pole, causing the car to ignite. A nitrous oxide tank and several balloons were found inside the wreckage, according to officials. Last November, a teenager slammed into the fountain in the town's circle. In this incident, police also said they recovered a nitrous oxide tank from the car.
"I was shocked that this was available," Foley said. "What I was more shocked about is we aren't tracking any of the data to understand when people are driving under the influence."
Foley said breathalyzers and drug tests cannot detect nitrous oxide. She added that the ordinance does not apply to legal uses of nitrous oxide or laughing gas, such as dentists' offices, auto shops or catering businesses.
"Very dangerous, suffocates your brain, causes oxygen to not go to your brain," Foley said. "It could cause paralysis. We really are just learning about the long-term impacts of nitrous oxide on the human body."
Foley hopes all 34 cities in Orange County will pass a similar law.
