If nitrous oxide has harmed you or someone you love, you’re probably asking the same question we hear every day: How did something sold so casually cause so much damage? You’re not alone, and you’re not imagining the danger.
Flavored nitrous oxide products, like Galaxy Gas, are showing up in smoke shops and gas stations nationwide. Bright colors. Sweet flavors. Misleading labels. But behind that image is a powerful, addictive drug that has left families reeling from permanent nerve damage, paralysis, brain injuries, and devastating loss.
At Freese & Goss, we represent individuals harmed by deceptive products. We’ve seen how quickly recreational use can spiral into addiction and how manufacturers and sellers failed to warn, protect, or care about the consequences.
With more than $1 billion recovered and over 77 years of combined experience, our nationally recognized attorneys have the resources, resolve, and courtroom strength to take on companies that put profits over people.
Call Freese & Goss at (214) 761-6623 or fill out our private online form for a free, confidential consultation. There is no pressure and no obligation.
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– Rose A. | Client
Nitrous oxide, sometimes called “laughing gas” or “whippets,” is a colorless gas with legitimate medical and culinary uses. In controlled medical settings, dentists use it in carefully measured doses for pain relief. In kitchens, it’s used to aerate whipped cream and other foods.
Problems arise when nitrous oxide is inhaled recreationally.
When abused, nitrous oxide deprives the brain and nervous system of oxygen. Users may feel a brief sense of euphoria, disorientation, or numbness. However, that short-lived effect comes at a serious cost.
Even intermittent use can disrupt the body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12, a nutrient critical to nerve and spinal cord health. Over time, this can lead to permanent nerve damage, loss of motor function, paralysis, and severe neurological injury.
Because the effects fade quickly, users often inhale repeatedly in a short period of time. That pattern dramatically increases the risk of addiction, oxygen deprivation, and irreversible harm. What may begin as experimentation can escalate rapidly—especially in young users whose brains are still developing.
Recreational nitrous oxide use isn’t new, but the way it is being packaged, promoted, and consumed today is entirely different.
Products like Galaxy Gas mark a dangerous shift away from small, single-use culinary chargers toward large, high-capacity tanks that allow repeated and prolonged inhalation. These tanks are deliberately designed to be enticing, especially to teens and young adults who may not understand the risks.
When inhaled, nitrous oxide produces a powerful but very short-lived effect. Users often report sensations such as:
Because these effects fade within seconds, users often inhale again and again to chase the feeling. The size and concentration of flavored tanks make this especially easy and especially dangerous.
Why These Products Are So Enticing to Young PeopleManufacturers didn’t just change the size of the canisters; they also changed the message.
This is not accidental. Nitrous oxide lawsuits allege that manufacturers and sellers knew, or should have known, how these products were being used and failed to warn consumers or restrict access. Instead, they allegedly leaned into marketing that downplayed the risks while maximizing appeal.
These products were not as harmless as they were made to seem. Freese & Goss is investigating nitrous oxide claims nationwide. Reach out to our team today at (214) 761-6623 or fill out our quick online form for a 100% free consultation and find out how we can help.
If a loved one or you has suffered serious harm after using flavored nitrous oxide products like Galaxy Gas, you may qualify for a claim. Every situation is different, but below is the criteria we use to help us determine if you have a case.
You or a loved one may be eligible to file a claim if you experienced the following as a result of nitrous oxide use:
Our lawyers need to show where the product came from and that it was used. Acceptable evidence includes:
Please note: We are not accepting cases where the product was purchased on Amazon.
Even if you’re unsure about your eligibility, it doesn’t hurt to reach out. At Freese & Goss, we offer complimentary case evaluations to review your situation and explain your options. Call (214) 761-6623 or submit our online form to schedule a confidential discussion.
Some of the brands currently facing lawsuits for injuries related to flavored nitrous oxide include:
Current Galaxy Gas lawsuits and other nitrous oxide claims allege that companies are intentionally “disrupting” the market by selling drugs disguised as kitchen supplies or culinary tools.
The lawsuits claim that:
On the surface, these cases may seem straightforward. A dangerous product caused harm. However, companies often try to shift attention away from their own conduct and focus intensely on the injured person’s background, medical history, or personal life.
The goal is to muddy the waters and make it harder to prove that the product, and the way it was marketed, was the real cause of the injury. Companies argue that their products were meant for “legitimate” use, even when the packaging, flavors, accessories, and sales locations tell a very different story.
When you work with Freese & Goss, you’re gaining a team that handles the heavy lifting while you focus on healing. Our team will:
Feeling unsure is completely normal, but having the right legal team can take much of that uncertainty off your shoulders. In surveys of people who pursued injury claims, more than nine out of ten individuals who worked with a personal injury lawyer received a settlement or award, compared to only about half of those who tried to handle their claims on their own.
Injuries from recreational nitrous oxide are not rare or isolated.
Medical researchers, government agencies, and hospitals around the world have been sounding the alarm for years.
Key findings from recent research include:
Taken together, this research highlights that recreational nitrous oxide is neither safe nor harmless.
At Freese & Goss, we know how these companies operate because we’ve gone up against similar ones before.
Our attorneys have decades of experience handling dangerous drug and defective product cases, including:
In nitrous oxide cases, we focus on telling the full story: who the person was before these products entered their life, how the marketing and availability made the danger seem minimal, and how quickly everything changed once addiction or injury took hold.
We fight to ensure that the businesses profiting from this crisis are held accountable for the lives they help destroy. Get in touch with our firm today online or by calling (214) 761-6623.
Manufacturers often use “culinary use only” labels as a legal loophole to avoid responsibility. However, the law looks at more than just a label. If a company adds candy flavors, uses “cool” space-themed branding, and sells the gas in smoke shops alongside balloons and nozzles, it is clear they know the product is being used recreationally.
Every injury case is subject to a deadline called the statute of limitations. This is the legal time limit for filing a lawsuit, and it varies based on the state and the type of claim involved.
For nitrous oxide injury cases, the filing window often falls somewhere between two and five years. In many situations, the clock starts running on the date of the injury. In others, it may begin when you first learned that nitrous oxide caused the harm. Wrongful death claims can follow different timelines, and cases involving minors may have special rules.
These deadlines are strict. Missing them can mean losing your right to recover compensation entirely, even if the injury is severe and clearly linked to the product, making it crucial to speak with a lawyer sooner rather than later.
You may have a powerful claim for a nitrous oxide wrongful death claim. If a driver was “huffing” nitrous oxide and caused a fatal accident, both the driver and the companies that sold them the gas may be held liable. In 2023, a Missouri jury awarded $745 million to the family of a woman killed by a driver who was impaired by nitrous oxide.
An overdose often happens because the gas replaces the oxygen in your body. Symptoms can include:
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