New Yorkers who hope to buy one popular dessert add-on should be ready to hand over their IDs at the checkout.
Canisters of whipped cream are included on a list of restricted items in New York, with shoppers required to offer proof that they are at least 21 years old to purchase — and enforcement is on the rise, the Times Union reported.
So why is this pumpkin pie accessory joining the company of liquor and beer?
The change was spurred by the popularity of “whippets” — a type of recreational drug use that involves breathing in nitrous oxide gas stored in the canisters.
Highs from whippets have led to impaired judgment, heart failure and seizures, and an overdose could cause hallucinations, according to the nonprofit Arch Academy.
The state law limiting sales of whipped cream chargers — which use nitrous oxide to push the dessert topping out of the can — was signed in November.
And enforcement of the law has recently stepped up, the Times Union reported.
“Sadly, young people buy and inhale this gas to get ‘high’ because they mistakenly believe it is a ‘safe’ substance,” state Sen. Joseph Addabbo, a Democrat representing the 15th District, said in a statement to the outlet.
“This law will eliminate easy access to this dangerous substance for our youth.”
