Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is gas that you inhale. It causes a quick high, lifts your mood and often makes you want to laugh.

The gas is colourless. It may taste or smell slightly sweet.

Nitrous oxide comes in pressurised cartridges, such as:

small silver cartridges called whippets
larger canisters of different sizes - you release the gas into a balloon
People use a cracker or a whipped cream canister to release the gas from a whippet into another object. For example, a balloon.

They inhale the gas from the balloon. This is sometimes called nagging.

Nitrous oxide in medical settings is mixed with air. It is not the same as nitrous oxide that people use to get high.