Green Daily

Obviously drugs -- even the legal ones -- aren't very good for you, and most will get you arrested (or worse), but rumor has it that some people still take them anyway. So, with that in mind, the least you can do is work towards a more sustainable habit. To see all the substances we've covered in this series, see our Guide to Green Green Drug Use.

Nitrous oxide, AKA "hippie crack," has the distinction of being one of the few legally-available drugs that almost everyone has consumed. If your dentist has ever strapped a mask on your face, chances are that you've sucked down a little bit of laughing gas. For most people, nitrous causes giggling, a strong anaesthetic effect and, if consumed in sufficient quantities, a repetitive "wah-wah" sound in the ears that is strangely reminiscent of a 1950's flying saucer movie.

At least, that's what I've been told.

Although it is generated by many natural processes, man-made nitrous, unfortunately, leaves a pretty huge carbon footprint. First off, it's the product of a fairly complex chemical process involving the heating of ammonium nitrate. Second, much of the recreationally abused nitrous is packaged in little metal canisters, few of which are recycled. Finally, it's a greenhouse gas. Although human processes are only responsible for between 10 and 15% of the nitrous released into the atmosphere, that is still a pretty impressive amount of gas. Therefore, as much as it pains me to say it, nitrous is definitely not sustainable! Green Grade: F; D if you purchase carbon offsets.