Nitrous Oxide is now illegal

If you’re a baker, you may use it for whipping creams. If you work in medicine or dentistry, you may use it as a painkiller.

However, Nitrous Oxide is also one of the most commonly used recreational drugs amongst young people, taken to cause the user to become relaxed and euphoric - and giggle - leading to it’s well known moniker of ‘laughing gas’.

Unlike much other ‘hidden’ drug use, the littering of the small silvery metal cylinders in parks and on pavements has revealed to the wider public (and MPs voting on its status) just how prevalent its usage has become.

From today (8 November 2023), Nitrous Oxide, will be illegal (unless for approved use such as in medicine) as a controlled class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Although supplying Nitrous Oxide for its psychoactive effects was already illegal, this investigation by Sky News revealed that getting hold of the substance was “as easy as buying bread”.

From today, the penalties for possessing the substance could include an unlimited fine, community service, or a caution, and for ‘repeat serious offenders’, a prison sentence of up to two years. The maximum sentence for production or supply of the drug for unlawful purposes will be 14 years. These legal changes will particularly impact younger people as possession is criminalised.

There are numerous side-effects to using Nitrous Oxide including severe headaches, dizziness and paranoia, while prolonged use can cause vitamin B12 deficiency, anaemia and nerve damage. Doctors have also warned that using laughing gas could lead to spinal injuries.

If you want to know more about Nitrous Oxide, or other commonly misused substances, then a great free resource is Talk to FRANK.

If you are experiencing problems with Nitrous Oxide, or know somebody who is, then please do reach out and contact me for a FREE, non-judgemental, confidential discussion. I can help you to stop Nitrous use once and for all, and help you adjust to a new life free from use.