PORTLAND, Ore. — Outside the Value Fill gas station in Southeast Portland, a large red banner advertises “GALAXY GAS ALL SIZES.” Inside the store, huge colorful tanks of nitrous oxide line the shelves. It comes in fruity flavors like aloe grape, banana cream and blueberry lemonade. The gas is as convenient to buy as a bag of chips or soda.
“It really does blow my mind,” said Nick Harbar, 45, of Portland. Harbar runs a nitrous oxide support group called NotoN2O.
Despite warnings from health officials and a surge in dangerous cases in Oregon, KGW found nitrous oxide is being sold in convenience stores and gas stations, thanks to a loophole in federal law…