The New South Wales government has announced new laws to limit the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide in order to reduce its recreational misuse.

新南威爾斯州政府已宣布新法律，以限制一氧化二氮的銷售與分發，旨在減少娛樂性濫用。

These changes were caused by a rise in the recreational use of nitrous oxide, especially among young people aged 18 to 24. Data shows that 4% of this group has used these inhalants, and calls to the NSW poisons centre increased by 120% between 2020 and 2025. Health experts emphasized that short-term use can lead to unconsciousness or frostbite, while long-term use is linked to serious mental health issues and permanent nerve damage, which can even cause paralysis.

這些改變是由於一氧化二氮的娛樂性使用增加所引起，特別是在 18 至 24 歲的年輕人之中。數據顯示，該群體中有 4% 使用過這些吸入劑，而新南威爾斯州中毒中心的接線電話量在 2020 年至 2025 年間增加了 120%。健康專家強調，短期使用可能導致昏迷或凍傷，而長期使用則與嚴重的精神健康問題及永久性神經損傷有關，甚至可能導致癱瘓。

Starting November 5, the new rules will ban the sale of cylinders larger than ten grams and prohibit sales to anyone under 18. Furthermore, shops must hide canisters from public view, and sales between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM will be limited to 250 grams per person. The government has also stopped same-day delivery for this product. To ensure shops follow these rules, police and compliance officers will conduct checks. Consequently, individuals could be fined $2,200 and companies $11,000 for each violation, although medical and industrial uses, such as food production, remain exempt.

自 11 月 5 日起，新規定將禁止銷售超過 10 克的氣體筒，並禁止銷售給 18 歲以下的人士。此外，商店必須將氣體筒隱蔽於公眾視線之外，且在晚上 10 點至凌晨 5 點之間的銷售量將限制為每人 250 克。政府還停止了該產品的當日配送服務。為了確保商店遵守這些規定，警方和合規人員將進行檢查。因此，個人每次違規可能被處以 2,200 澳元罰款，公司則為 11,000 澳元，但醫療和工業用途（如食品生產）仍予以豁免。

New South Wales is now following the example of other Australian states to make it harder for people to obtain nitrous oxide for non-medical reasons.

新南威爾斯州目前正效仿其他澳洲州的做法，使人們更難以非醫療原因獲取一氧化二氮。