Overview
- Lawmakers approved Health Minister Nina Warken’s bill to curb access to nitrous oxide cartridges and to outlaw the KO‑drop substances GBL and BDO.
- Cartridges over 8.4 grams fall under a handling ban, minors are barred from purchase and possession, vending‑machine and mail‑order sales to private consumers are prohibited, and adults face a cap of ten 8.4‑gram cartridges per transaction.
- Small cartridges up to 8.4 grams for culinary use remain allowed after negotiators raised the originally planned 8‑gram threshold to account for manufacturing variances.
- The law bans market placement, trade and production of GBL and BDO, which the federal drugs commissioner described as a tool of targeted chemical violence.
- The Bundesrat is due to consider the bill today; if it approves, a three‑month transition would begin, with the government expecting the rules to take effect in April 2026, as police and medical bodies urge tighter limits, an advertising ban and nationwide education.