Gas station drugs – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

This isn’t the first time psilocybin-laced products have been found in Denver. John Moore/Getty Images

March 17, 2026

Magic mushroom‑infused products appear in Colorado gas stations – what public health officials want consumers to know

David Kroll, University of Colorado Anschutz

Hallucinogenic chocolate bars were removed from six Denver-area gas stations.

Nitrous oxide is often inhaled with a balloon. Matt Cardy/Getty Images News

May 9, 2025

Nitrous oxide recreational use is linked to brain damage and sudden death − but ‘laughing gas’ is still sold all over the US

Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi

The low cost and easy availability of recreational nitrous oxide makes it an easy drug of choice, particularly for young people.

Kratom products are sold online and at smoke shops and gas stations, like this one in Lone Tree, Colo. Amanda Mascarelli

February 20, 2024

Nearly 2 million Americans are using kratom yearly, but it is banned in multiple states: A pharmacologist explains the controversy

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

Long-term use of kratom may actually reduce pain tolerance and cause physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms.

Neptune’s Fix, a tianeptine-containing “Elixir” as it’s labeled, is one of the most common of these products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

January 29, 2024

Popularly known as ‘gas station heroin,’ tianeptine is being sold as a dietary supplement – with deadly outcomes

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

Tianeptine is dangerous as an active ingredient, but the products containing it have no quality control and could be contaminated with metals, microorganisms or other undisclosed drugs.

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