Senior Commissioner Zulkarnain Harahap, head of Bareskrim’s Narcotics Crime Directorate Sub-Directorate III, said the steps would ensure compliance with Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health and potentially include N2O under Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics.
Harahap made the announcement here Friday while presenting findings from the investigation into 26-year-old influencer Lula Lahfah’s death at an apartment in Dharmawangsa, South Jakarta, where authorities recovered a pink-colored N2O cylinder.
He warned the public against using the gas for euphoric or hallucinatory effects, especially in entertainment venues, citing serious health and safety risks if N2O is misused outside regulated contexts.
“There are many safer ways to seek enjoyment. We urge people to avoid using N2O for recreational purposes,” Harahap said, emphasizing public health concerns and the potential for harm from improper use.
He noted that N2O is commonly used in medicine as an analgesic and anesthetic, regulated under a ministerial decree, and legally applied only in healthcare settings.
N2O is listed as a controlled medical gas under Health Minister Regulation No. 4 of 2016, governing its use in healthcare facilities, including medical vacuum systems and anesthesia.
Beyond medicine, N2O is used in automotive, agricultural, and culinary industries, particularly as a food additive in whipped cream dispensers, where usage is legal and controlled.
Police recovered a pink 2,050-gram “whip” cylinder and bloodstains in Lahfah’s apartment, indicating involvement of N2O in the death, along with a pink box containing 44 medication tablets for DNA testing.
Authorities are analyzing both the cylinder and the pills using touch and DNA examination to determine links to the fatality, as part of an ongoing investigation into circumstances surrounding Lahfah’s death.
Translator: Luthfia, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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