According to prosecutor Lei Limei, the man, surnamed Yin, will be charged with operating an illegal business as the drug is categorized as a dangerous chemical that requires a special license in order to be sold, the South China Morning Post reported.
Accused of selling more than 12,000 boxes of nitrous oxide at the low price of $3.60 per canister, Limei added that "he made more sales through WeChat than any other online platforms."
In a search of the man's home in Yunhe, Zhejiang province back in October, police officials confiscated a whopping 800 boxes of nitrous oxide. According to the Post, each box held 10 canisters, though it's unclear how much of the drug was found inside the canisters themselves.
Typically used in the medical realm as an anesthetic, laughing gas has within the last few years become a popular party drug for teens and twenty-somethings, who combine the substance with ecstasy and methamphetamine, Sixth Tone reported.
Speaking to the outlet, a 25-year-old graduate student identified as Jacklyn indicated that the drug was rampant in Chinese nightlife.
"It's everywhere," she said, indicating that "if you didn't try it, you would be made fun of as a coward."
"The market [for nitrous oxide] in Shanghai is crazier than in New York," Jacklyn added.
As with any drug taken in excess, there is a dark side. In May, a girl in Shanghai wound up in the hospital after overdosing on 20 bottles, the Post reported.
Lei says the only way to improve the substance abuse is to create stricter rules on the sale on the chemical.
