I'm aware of these, but the context of what you wrote doesn't seem to match. Did you and your friends suffer burns or blindness when playing with these lasers (which likely did not yet exist when you were younger)? 5mW Nd:YAG(green) laser pointers have been around for about 20 years. Handheld green lasers with power levels above 2W have only been available for about five years.

Wow, that is actually very scary. I take it back. That is a ridiculous power in a handheld laser.