A source from inside the Home Office has revealed that the UK government is set to prohibit the sale and possession of nitrous oxide starting as soon as this week.
Today, it is anticipated that Suella Braverman will reveal the details of a recently devised “anti-social behaviour plan” by introducing new legislation.
Although providing nitrous oxide for its psychoactive effects is prohibited, simply owning it is not a criminal offence. Nitrous oxide is widely used in the catering, motoring and medical industries.
Inhalation of a colourless gas, commonly known as “nos” or laughing gas, is used recreationally and is typically dispensed from metal canisters into a balloon for the user to breathe.
The Home Office reported that there had been a sustained increase in usage of the drug among young people, making it the second most popular choice among the 16 to 24-year-old population in the UK.
Experts have suggested that severe contact with the gas may result in anaemia and nerve harm, but they have also stated these effects are unlikely.
Ministers from the government are thought to be motivated by the issues caused by anti-social behaviour, which is suspected to be connected to the drug.
In 2021, when Priti Patel held the Home Secretary position, she promised to take serious action on the gas. Subsequently, she requested the UK’s independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to produce a report.
The report that came out a couple of weeks ago determined that it would not be appropriate to prohibit nitrous oxide under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, as the legal repercussions it would bring on “nos” users would be excessive relative to the damage associated with the drug.
The statement also pointed out that a prohibition would pose difficulties for food and medical businesses that depend on the gas for acceptable purposes – for example, utilising it to make whipped cream and for anaesthetic purposes.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended that authorities prioritise enforcing the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, which applies to the drug in question, and suppressing illegitimate distribution.
Despite strong criticism from government officials and medical personnel, a source inside the Home Office declared that the committee “will not be an obstacle to prohibiting” the product and a prompt cessation of sales is “highly probable at the moment.”
Some experts have suggested that this policy has limited potential to reduce the supply of drugs. Jay Jackson, a Researcher from The Loop and Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform, argued that drug gangs might even welcome the new policy.
He remarked that criminal gangs nationwide would be delighted with the government’s decision to give them another source of income.
Rather than allocating further taxpayers’ money and police resources to criminalise the primarily youthful users of NOs, Suella Braverman should direct funds to local authorities to tackle the littering of NOs canisters and take adequate measures to tackle the actual drugs that are harmful to individuals, the economy and society by endorsing a harm reduction strategy.
A representative of the Home Office proclaimed that the administration is striving to combat drug abuse in our neighbourhoods, which is why they sought the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to issue updated guidance regarding nitrous oxide.
[Source: JOE]
