The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a public health warning Wednesday, citing a sharp rise in emergency responses and hospital visits involving people who misused nitrous oxide to get high.
The department said nitrous oxide related health emergencies increased from 10 in 2019 to 47 in 2025. State health officials expect that number to rise again this year.
Nitrous oxide is used safely in controlled settings such as dental offices and in culinary products like whipped cream dispensers. The warning focuses on recreational use, commonly called "whippets," sold in smoke shops and other retail locations.
Michigan outlawed the sale of nitrous oxide products made for recreational use in 2024. The products can still be sold for culinary use.
Dr. Jamie Alan, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University's College of Medicine, said recreational products are not regulated the same way as medical nitrous oxide.
"The FDA doesn't regulate these products in the smoke shops like they would a can of nitrous oxide that is being prescribed and given to you by a dentist or a physician," Alan said. "You don't know what's in there. It could be nitrous oxide, it could be contaminated with something else, and you just don't know."
Alan warned that prolonged or high dose misuse can cause lasting harm, including the risk of a stroke because the gas displaces oxygen in the body, including the brain.
The department is urging parents, especially those with teenagers, to know what nitrous oxide products look like, understand the dangers, and seek help early if they suspect misuse.
A smoke shop sales associate in Lansing said the product is not new but has evolved. "It was huge in the 80s, it's just that the look of it and the cans and all of that has changed from the 80s to now," the associate said. Brands and canister sizes have grown larger since the product's earlier popularity.