Overview
- The Alès prosecutor said post‑mortem analyses found the 19‑year‑old driver had a relatively high level of nitrous oxide, plus alcohol and cannabis, and that the 14‑year‑old front passenger also tested positive.
- An Ofast note reports 1,207 police interventions tied to the gas in Paris and nearby departments during the first ten months of 2025, about a 52% rise year on year, with increasingly structured trafficking and youth‑targeted marketing boosting access.
- Because the gas is treated as a ‘substance vénéneuse’ rather than a narcotic, investigators lean on ancillary offenses, a 2024 Évry ruling led to releases and the return of seized stock, and no roadside screening exists.
- The Savoie prefecture issued a December 4 order banning possession, transport and recreational use, while towns such as Pamiers report discarded canisters and step up prevention efforts.
- Health authorities logged 472 nitrous‑linked reports in 2023, triple 2020, including severe neurological cases, and police cite more refusals to comply and road crashes as import networks from Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland feed supply.