Senate Approves Ban on Alcohol Inhalation Machines

The State Senate has given unanimous approval to a measure banning a potentially deadly new way of downing alcohol—Senate Bill 663 would forbid anyone to sell, buy, furnish, manufacture or possess an alcohol inhalation device.

Senator Jonathan Nichols is principal author of the measure. He said the use of devices to inhale alcohol is a fad that’s been seen in bars and clubs in other parts of the nation. He worries people unfamiliar with alcohol inhalers may not realize they can be extremely dangerous.

“The human body is pretty good at letting a person know when they’ve had too much to drink—nausea, for example, is one such indicator. The problem with these inhalation devices is that it gets the alcohol into a person’s system so fast, the body doesn’t have time to send out warnings. A person can succumb to alcohol poisoning before they realize what’s happening and that can be fatal,” said Nichols, R-Norman.

The bill includes penalties of a fine of up to $50,000, as well as the permanent revocation of a license to sell alcohol.

“The penalties are tough by design—this is literally a matter of life and death. I would hate to see any Oklahoman wind up in the hospital or worse because they had legal access to one of these machines and didn’t realize what a deadly game they were playing,” Nichols said. “I want to stress that this legislation in no way further restricts the traditional sale or consumption of alcohol in our state.”

The measure now moves to the House for further consideration.