Ban on possessing nitrous oxide for recreational use on its way
Suella Braverman pushing plan to change law on nitrous oxide as part of crackdown on antisocial behaviour
Under planned new laws anyone found in possession of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for recreational use will face prosecution, according to the Guardian newspaper.
Nitrous oxide is one of the most popular recreational drugs among 16 to 24-year-olds and is usually inhaled from balloons filled via small metal cylinders, often found discarded on high streets.
It is already a criminal offence to supply it for its psychoactive effects under legislation brought in in 2016, but the gas is widely available online as it is used in the production of whipped creamed and freezing food, as well as for pain relief.
The Home Office is getting ready to add possession of it to the supply ban when it is meant for recreational use. It is expected to be classified alongside cannabis.
When the ban on possession for recreational use was first mooted by the then Home Secretary Priti Patel in 2021, the drug charity Release, who advocate for evidence-based drug policy, said it could leave tens of thousands of young people with a criminal record.
The Royal Society for Public Health, also in response to Priti Patel’s plans in 2021, said that criminalisation did not seem likely to reduce use of the drug.
The gas is known to produce a sense of euphoria, giggling and hallucinations, but can also cause dizziness, memory loss and injury due to leg weakness. It is said to inactivate vitamin B12 and consequently cause neurological problems.
According to doctors, the gas is responsible for an increase in spinal cord and nerve damage, as well as paralysis.
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