The UK government clamps down on laughing gas

Nitrous oxide or laughing gas will be categorised as a class C drug and will become illegal by the end of 2023, the UK government announced on Tuesday.

The government announced plans to ban nitrous oxide earlier this year as part of a plan to tackle anti-social behaviour, BBC reported.

Once nitrous oxide is classified as a Class C drug, suppliers of the drug could face up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and I promised a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour,” Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote on X.

“With this new ban on nitrous oxide and increased police patrols in hotspot areas, perpetrators of ASB will face swift justice, and our communities will be safer,” she added.

The nitrous oxide is inhaled, typically by discharging nitrous gas cartridges into another object, like a balloon or directly into the mouth. The effects include feelings of euphoria, calmness and distortions of perception. It can also lead to more uncomfortable feelings such as dizziness, light-headedness, disorientation, headache or even nausea and fainting.

While nitrous oxide is the second most popular recreational drug after cannabis, it is also used as an anaesthetic in hospitals, dental practices and the catering industry. The ban will, therefore, be adapted to cater for exemptions for legitimate uses.

“The rise in the recreational use of nitrous oxide in some parts of Europe is a cause for concern,” said Alexis Goosdeel, director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction (EMCDDA) in November following the release of a report that included case studies from the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Lithuania, Ireland, Portugal and the UK.

“There is no question that abusing laughing gas is dangerous to people’s health, and it is paramount we take decisive action before the situation gets worse,” said Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp, BBC reported.

“Not only are we making possession an offence for the first time, we are also doubling the maximum sentence for supply to 14 years, so the dealers profiting off this trade have no place to hide,” he added.

(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)