A video recently went viral on the TikTok page “Lost in Da Sauce.” The promotional footage depicted a young man, introduced as Lil T-Man, inhaling nitrous oxide (commonly known as whippet) before eating his food. For a wide margin of teenagers on TikTok, this is one of the clearer available clips of whippet usage. The popularity of which is mainly due to its shock value.
The effect of whippets is frighteningly similar to the “blackout” challenge, also made popular through TikTok in 2021. Oxygen is cut from your brain by nitrous oxide, creating a high, or feeling of euphoria for the user. The high will be achieved within as little as ten seconds and leaves the body extremely quickly. As such, it does not show up on a drug test.
The Atlanta-based company, Galaxy Gas, founded in 2021, creates nitrous oxide products used specifically for culinary and food processing propellants. The user agreement specifically states that any purchases be used for their intended purpose and in compliance with the law. However, this has not stopped the company’s product from resurfacing as an inhalant. While it would be a stretch to say that nitrous oxide is running rampant, it is certainly on the rise.
In addition, some staff at Ida B. Wells have also become aware of the issue. “[Whippets] makes you dumber than a bag of rocks,” says Katie Parnell, a school security guard at IBW. “I watched Jackass a lot growing up and I know they [the characters] did it a lot. I just hope this isn’t the new drug everyone’s getting into.”
As we’ve seen over the past several years the influence of social media is not to be understated. Despite the harmless nature of the memes circulating, there are always a select few whose curiosity is peaked and unfortunately, the effects of whippets are far too detrimental for this to be ignored. As ambiguity has circulated about the fate of Lil T-Man, many claim that he passed away shortly after going viral. As no official name has been found, there is no credible information surrounding his status.
As many know, whippets were a problem long established before Galaxy Gas entered the picture. While now brandishing flavor and colorful wrapping, the branding can be viewed as a deliberate marketing strategy geared toward younger people. This can also be attributed to the uprising of vapes a few years back, as more were inclined to purchase and use them when they were flavored. While the bulk of their popularity can be accredited to social media, it is important not to overlook the branding choices.
Recently it has also come out that rapper Kanye West (Ye) is using nitrous oxide regularly. As a result of this exposure, fans online have attributed the poor reception of his latest album Vultures 2 to the deterioration of his brain.
Regardless of the cause one thing is clear; whippets are dangerous and fry your brain at a rapid pace.
