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Today, Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva submitted to the National Assembly an amendment to the Child Protection Act, with which she proposes to prohibit the supply, sale, including online, and the use by children of paradise gas - art. 5b, new para. 5.

A day earlier, the public defender sent recommendations to the resigned Minister of Health, Prof. Asena Serbezova, to the Chairman of the Health Committee in the Parliament, Dr. Anton Tonev, and to the Consumer Protection Commission, insisting on urgent measures against the free sale and use of radiski gas from minors, which according to experts is equivalent to a soft drug.

"The bill aims to prevent the mass distribution and use by minors of nitrous oxide, known as 'paradise gas', which is sold freely and legally and is especially relevant among minors," writes Prof. Kovacheva in the reasons for the bill.

According to reports and complaints of parents to the ombudsman, paradise gas is systematically used in discotheques and clubs, and according to leading pediatricians, it is very dangerous when combined with alcohol or drugs.

"The main danger is that paradise gas creates an unrealistic image of reality, and after its use there are risks for performing routine actions - walking, climbing stairs. The persons who have used it are dangerous not only for themselves, but also for others. There is a danger of hallucinations and falling into psychosis, even leading to an incentive to commit suicide. Data were collected on the state of severe vertigo, nausea and vomiting. Especially in children, paradise gas affects the immune system and can lead to an acute lack of oxygen to the organs," argued the ombudsman.

 Diana Kovacheva adds that there are cases of numbness and partial paralysis of the limbs, as well as data on those diagnosed with axonal polyneuropathy, including degeneration of the spine.

"This is a serious problem that needs to be solved at the legislative level. There are already a number of countries that have recognized the risks of using shale gas and have taken action to restrict its sale. Ireland has criminalized the sale of kerosene to under-18s, and the Danish government already in 2020, after a number of disturbing incidents, took a package of measures to limit the sale of nitrous oxide to minors. From June 2021, the sale of nitrous oxide to minors is prohibited in France, regardless of the packaging, in all shops, public places and on the Internet," the ombudsman wrote.

In addition to urgent legislative changes, the ombudsman also insists on the deployment of a broad information campaign to include educational institutions, parent and patient organizations, the media and doctors to explain the dangers of using nitrous oxide.

"E-commerce websites must indicate the ban on the offer and sale of paradise gas to minors on their websites," Prof. Kovacheva is emphatic.