Suquamish instrumental in statewide law banning sale of nitrous oxide
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law March 24 a ban on the unauthorized sale of nitrous oxide. Standing alongside him were members of the Suquamish Tribe who were instrumental in the bill’s success.
“The Suquamish Tribe took bold action to protect our people against this product by banning it on our reservation,” said Suquamish Tribal Councilmember Azure Boure, who is also the traditional plants & medicine coordinator for the tribe. “This new statewide law strengthens what we already had in place.”
Nitrous oxide is often sold at convenience stores, comes in flavors such as watermelon and bubblegum, and has no age restriction. Use of the unregulated product can cause weakness, lasting nerve damage, and even death. Last year, as use of the substance became more prevalent in the Suquamish community, tribal government staff brought concerns to Tribal Council, a news release says. The tribe’s ban, which went into effect in September 2025, prohibits the sale of nitrous oxide on the Port Madison Reservation.
“The Suquamish Tribe acted under our own sovereign authority to address this issue because we saw nitrous oxide harming our youth and our community,” said Suquamish Community Health Program manager and tribal member Jeff Riggins. “Today shows what it looks like when the tribe leads, and the state follows through. At the end of the day, this is about protecting lives and making our tribal community and the entire state healthier.”
“I had no idea how big of a problem this was until the Suquamish Tribe reached out,” Sen. Drew Hansen said in a statement. Hansen, along with fellow Washington lawmakers Sen. Jeff Holy and Reps. Joe Timmons and Dan Griffey introduced legislation to ban the sale of nitrous oxide. Boure and Riggins, along with Tribal Council Secretary Irene Carper, testified in Olympia on behalf of the bill, the release says.
