Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.

An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.

THE REVENUE COMMISSIONERS have spent €2.66 million (incl VAT) on the disposal of seized Nitrous Oxide canisters since the start of last year.

In figures indicating an upsurge in the use of ‘nitrous oxide’ or laughing gas, the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris TD (FG) has confirmed that to date this year, Revenue has spent €613,745 on the disposal of seized nitrous oxide canisters and €2.05 million on the disposal of such canisters for the 12 months of 2025.

In a written Dáil reply to Social Democrat’s TD Aidan Farrelly, Harris has confirmed that 47,682 large canisters have been seized from 1 January this year to 10 July and this is just short of 50,862 large canisters seized the entire 12 months of 2025.

Harris further confirmed that 48,400 Nitrous Oxide ampules have been seized to date this year and this compares to 96,500 ampules seized and disposed of in 2025.

The figures provided by Harris follow a recent study by medics here showing that acute hospital admissions for mainly young adult males presenting with neurological consequences due to the misuse of Nitrous Oxide (NO) or laughing gas have increased here four-fold on a quarterly basis over a four-year period.

In a study published in a recent edition of the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ), medics warned that “a multi-targeted harm-reduction strategy is needed to reduce preventable harm and to lessen the burden on acute care services”.

In his written Dáil reply, Harris told Farrelly that “Revenue contracts a 3rd party waste disposal company to handle and dispose of this material.”

Harris stated that Revenue advises that nitrous oxide is not a prohibited substance and has a number of legitimate uses; for example, it is legitimately used in the food industry.

He said: “However, in instances where Revenue has reasonable grounds to believe that the importation of nitrous oxide is not for legitimate purposes and is intended for human consumption as a psychoactive substance, Revenue has the power to detain and seize nitrous oxide in accordance with the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010.”

Commenting on the figures, Farrelly said today: “Looking at the figures I have serious concerns that at the mid-point of 2026 revenue seizures relating to canisters is almost the same for the totality of 2025.

He said: “It seems to indicate a significant demand for industrial-sized vessels over single use ampules. The figures pose a really serious public health problem given that these seizures are set in context of Revenue’s view that the canisters are for human consumption or illegitimate uses.”

In a paper by the IMJ, entitled ‘Recreational Nitrous Oxide Use: A Growing Trend with Unintended Consequences’ by medics at the Acute Medicine Department, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, it was found that “admissions to Irish hospitals with neurological consequences of inhaled NO misuse have greatly increased over the last four years, and this issue is predominantly affecting very young adults”.

The medics stated that the multi-targeted harm reduction strategy should consist of highlighting the need for youth-targeted prevention, awareness campaigns, and multidisciplinary follow-up pathways.

The medics stated that it is the first study to describe the increase in acute hospital admissions in Ireland and say “as clinicians, we have observed an increase in cases of neurological symptoms in young people in our clinical practice, in association with NO abuse”.

The medics found that there were 63 cases identified over four years between Q1 2020 and Q2 2024 and state that there was more than a four-fold increase in quarterly admissions when comparing Q1 2020 with Q4 2023.

The various descriptions of the cases as a result of the inhalation of Nitrous Oxide including ‘poisoning by and exposure to unspecified gases and vapours’ and ‘accidental poisoning by and exposure to chemicals and noxious substances’.

To embed this post, copy the code below on your site