The Carbondale City Council passed an ordinance last December which made nitrous oxide illegal in Carbondale.

State Rep. Mike Bost (R Murphysboro), who penned the bill, said the Carbondale ordinance was the motivation for the state legislation.

It was off of Carbondale that we took the initiative, he said.

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Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a sweet tasting gas that provides an intense 20-30 second high when inhaled.

Kevin Bowman, an outpatient counselor at the Hyland Center of St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis, said the use of nitrous oxide has serious consequences.

It’s one of the few drugs that is actually linked with a decrease in I.Q., Bowman said.

He said use can also result in convulsions and even sudden death. The people using the most nitrous, Bowman said, are teenagers.

I haven’t found that many adults that do it, he said.

Bowman said the substance can be found in common household items such as whipped cream and computer board cleaner. He said death can result from nitrous oxide if the victim’s lungs freeze when the cold gas is inhaled from spray cans.

Bost said the law will make it a class B misdemeanor to distribute, sell or use nitrous oxide to become intoxicated. The maximum penalty for such an offense is six months in jail and a $500 fine.

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Under the law, nitrous oxide can still be used as an anesthetic in dental surgery and for industrial uses.

Students had varied reactions to the law.

Barbara Blanchard, a graduate student in zoology from Hubbardston, Mass., said she agrees with the legislation.

I think there should be a law against it, just like any illicit drug that causes people harm, she said.

Other students believe people should be free to use nitrous oxide at their own risk.

I don’t think there should be a law against it, Craig Stevens, an undecided sophomore from Crystal Lake, said. If people want to do it they should be free to do it.

Mike May, a senior in radio-television from Mundelein, said he also opposes the law.

Why stop at nitrous?, May said. Let’s ban everything people have fun with.