Paradise Lost: The Comedic Tragedy of “Paradise Gas”
11 days after the total ban on the sale of paradise gas to individuals, a bTV team got hold of two vials in just 30 minutes.
Now, if you’re wondering how “paradise gas” — a fancy term for nitrous oxide — became quite the fashionable accessory among teenagers, look no further than our friends in Ruse, where you’d think the only thing missing is a red carpet rollout to go with those vials! A full prohibition? Please! Try telling that to a teenager with a smartphone; buying it online is as easy as ordering a pizza! You might not even get as much as a pepperoni to go with it, but who needs toppings when you can have balloons instead?
Yes, folks, according to our fearless investigator team, who must really enjoy a game of “how fast can we break the rules”, they managed to secure these delightful little vials just half an hour after being told they can’t have them. I wonder if they had any trouble finding a store? Just nipping down to the local grocery store, apparently, still sells them like hot cakes – or perhaps, more aptly, like helium balloons at a kid’s birthday party. BGN 65 for 90 balloons? The only thing more inflated than that price is the demand!
And as for the authorities, bless them, they’ve had their hands full performing a whopping 23,000 checks before the prohibition went into effect on October 8. But the real kicker here? Nobody seems to have kept track of how many checks happened after the ban. Maybe they lost count while trying to sell the idea of a ban on something that is still available around the corner. Oh, the irony!
Now, let’s not forget the stern warnings from the health minister! Fines for selling paradise gas range from 500 to 1,000 BGN. Who knew that becoming a black-market dealer could net you more money than you’d get handing out parking tickets? The minister must be shaking in their boots knowing that while they impose fines, kids are still enjoying their ‘balloons’ as if they were the last batch of candy before Halloween.
And speaking of candy, let’s not gloss over the small print here that doctors are practically yelling from the rooftops — using nitrous oxide outside a doctor’s office could increase your risk of thrombosis! Now, don’t you love a good warning while you’re figuring out how to make yourself feel like a “heavenly host”? The neurologists have turned into the new rockstars, with queues forming outside their offices; every ticket sold leads to more ‘fans’ eager to learn why they can’t feel their toes!
Complaints from young folks about weakness and general bodily confusion have doctors shaking their heads in equal parts disbelief and concern. Imagine theatrically explaining to your mates why you can’t walk in a straight line anymore; “I tried paradise gas, and now I’m just…well, lost!”
So, what’s the takeaway from this delightful comedy of errors? While the government imposes its laws and fines, reality seems to play a different game. Buying paradise gas is easier than finding a place to park during the holidays — it’s just one more reminder that a ban doesn’t always equate to elimination. But let’s hope they’re keeping those balloons in check because, with current trends, next thing we know, they’ll be asking for a bouncer outside grocery stores to handle those unplanned ‘raves’!
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11 days after the total ban on the sale of paradise gas to individuals, a bTV team got hold of two vials in just 30 minutes.
Nitrous oxide, also known as “paradise gas”, has become very popular with teenagers in recent years. After an amendment to the law, paradise gas became prohibited for adults as well.
Despite the ban on the sale of paradise gas, buying it online is still easy. And in Ruse it is sold freely in a grocery store. The price for a vial with 90 balloons is BGN 65.
By the time the full sales ban was announced on October 8, 23,000 checks had been carried out, the health minister told bTV. But it is not clear how many checks were made after that date.
The fines for selling paradise gas to individuals are between 500 and 1,000 BGN.
“In the course of all specialized police operations, cases are established, we just have to get them out,” explained Acting Minister of the Interior Atanas Ilkov.
Doctors are categorical – the use of heavenly gas outside the doctor’s office increases the risk of thrombosis.
“Young people, after long-term use, come with complaints of weakness, difficulty stepping on toes, heels, gait changes,” explained neurologist Prof. Teodora Chamova.
Queues in front of the offices of toxicologists and neurologists due to complaints after the use of paradise gas do not decrease, the doctors are categorical.
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