This bill creates a new chapter in Title 69 RCW (listed as NEW SECTION Sec. 1 and Sec. 2) and makes it a gross misdemeanor to sell, furnish, administer, distribute, give away, or offer to do any of those acts with a device, canister, tank, or receptacle that exclusively contains nitrous oxide, flavored nitrous oxide, or a chemical compound mixed with nitrous oxide. The bill defines "nitrous oxide" to include the terms "N20", dinitrogen monoxide, dinitrogen oxide, nitrogen oxide, and laughing gas. The bill lists exemptions for medical, veterinary, and dental practitioners licensed by the state; manufacturers using nitrous oxide as part of a manufacturing or industrial operation; persons or entities lawfully distributing medical, veterinary, dental, food-grade, industrial, or automotive gases; sellers of food products that use nitrous oxide as a propellant; and automotive users or sellers using nitrous oxide for automotive purposes. It also provides a limited exemption for cylinders filled for subsequent lawful distribution only when the nitrous oxide is sold, furnished, or distributed solely for an exempt purpose and the cylinders are not for personal use. Legislative history shown in the extracted facts: read first time in the House on 02/04/2026, passed the Senate on February 28, 2026 (49-0), and passed the House on March 11, 2026 (96-0). The extracted text does not provide an effective date, a chapter or specific RCW section number for the new chapter, an enforcement mechanism or responsible agency, or a definition of "personal use."

If enacted, the bill would make it a crime (gross misdemeanor) for people or businesses to sell, give away, or offer devices, canisters, tanks, or receptacles that exclusively contain nitrous oxide or mixtures with nitrous oxide. In practical terms, many retailers and online sellers that currently offer nitrous oxide cartridges (for example, recreational "whippets" or other consumer canisters) would likely stop carrying those products or change how they sell them to avoid criminal liability, while manufacturers and suppliers that use nitrous oxide for medical, veterinary, dental, food-grade, industrial, or automotive purposes would remain able to operate under the bill’s exemptions. The groups most affected are convenience stores, party and kitchen supply sellers, online marketplaces, and any small businesses that rely on sales of nitrous oxide canisters; they could lose revenue, face new legal risk, and need to change inventory and sales practices. The bill leaves important practical questions open—there’s no effective date listed, no specified enforcement agency, and "personal use" is not defined—so businesses and regulators would have uncertainty about when and how to comply or enforce the new rule.