Who knew? NY Under-21s Can’t Buy Whipped Cream. Likewise, those little cylinders of pressurized gas that power fancy restaurant whipped cream dispensers. Seems there’s a serious drug risk involved. The law was passed last fall…
New law now being enforced across New York State…
Well. It has been a pretty crazy week on the food scene. A new E.coli outbreak has hospitalized dozens across 4 states. Ultraprocessed foods have been linked to mental health issues. California Fast Food Workers may get their minimum wages nearly triple. Busch wants you to buy a whole honkin’ 30-can suitcase of its classic beer for the homing holiday weekend. And make a beer can ‘country’ guitar out of the empties.
New York State clamps down
Now, the State of New York has started strictly enforcing a new law making it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy canned whipped cream.
Seriously? Yes. And there seems to be a good reason: The gaseous propellant that instantly whips, cools and dispenses the cream is nitrous oxide, and kids have been getting high on it droves lately.
Nitrous oxide has long been used as a dental anesthetic. And there have been reports of errant tooth doctors getting hooked on it, some to the point that they’ve killed themselves from overdoses. Now, it seems that hordes of young kids have been using the stuff, which they milk from whipped cream cans, to get high.
A little history
NY State last fall quietly passed a new law prohibiting sales of canned whipped cream and the little cylinders used in fancy whipped cream machines to anyone under 21. At first they didn’t insist on strict enforcement. But now, if you don’t look 21, you may be asked to produce ID.
The street name for these devices is ‘Whippets’. AKA: Gluey, Huff and Rush.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration says that approximately 1 in 5 U.S. young people have used inhalants like whippets by the time they reach the 8th grade. That’s a real shame. These kids are just starting their lives, and they’re risking brian damage.
The clinical rundown
According to the DEA Fact Sheet on Inhalents, “[They] are invisible, volatile substances found in common household products that produce chemical vapors that are inhaled to induce psychoactive or mind altering effects.”
“There are more than 1,000 products that are very dangerous when inhaled — things like typewriter correction fluid, air conditioning refrigerant, felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, and even cooking spray. See [the 10] products [most] abused as inhalants at: www.inhalants.org/product.htm (National Inhalant Prevention Coalition).”
The legislation
Curiously, it seems the spur – or at least the original one – to outlaw sales of canned whipped cream was not medical, nor designed to protect children. State Senator Joseph Addabbo of Queens decided to sponsor the new law after receiving complaints that his borough’s streets were littered with empty cans.
In October, 2021, Addabbo issued a statement saying: “The need to limit the access and sale of whippets first became apparent after receiving constituent complaints about empty canisters on neighborhood streets. Used whippets piling up in our communities are not only an eye sore, but also indicative of a significant nitrous oxide abuse problem.”
As debate on the bill progressed, the abuse angle apparently become more and more apparent.
My take
We’ve know about glue-sniffing, gasoline sniffing, rubber cement and other dangerous products for years. And I don’t imagine it will take too long for kids to segue to other sniffable ethers now that Whipped Cream is out of their reach.
~ Maggie J.