Laughing gas: Experts warn nitrous oxide ban will not stop use

A prohibition connected laughing state volition not halt radical utilizing it and volition thrust it into transgression hands, accidental experts.

The authorities has defended its plans to tackle anti-social behaviour, including making the possession of nitrous oxide a transgression offence.

The Drug Science Scientific Committee says a broad prohibition "is wholly disproportionate" and "would apt present much harm than good".

The £160m program volition besides code homelessness, begging and graffiti.

Unveiling his plans to clamp down connected anti-social behaviour connected Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said determination was a request for a "zero-tolerance" attack and stressed the value of "immediate justice".

Speaking astatine a boxing nine successful Chelmsford, Essex, Mr Sunak said helium wanted to woody with a tiny number of radical who were being disruptive.

He confirmed the government's stance connected laughing gas, saying it would tackle the "scourge" of drugs.

The determination goes against proposal from the Advisory Council connected the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) which precocious said nitrous oxide should not beryllium banned nether the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Nitrous oxide, sold successful metallic canisters, is known arsenic NOS and is 1 of the most-used drugs by UK 16 to 24-year-olds.

David Badcock, from the Drug Science Scientific Committee, said helium was "disheartened" astatine the projected prohibition and the authorities was "going wholly against its ain advisory panel".

"What's the constituent successful the ACMD erstwhile the precise champion scientists and experts person looked astatine the grounds and advised what to bash and they wholly disregard it?

"It won't halt young radical utilizing it, banning immoderate substance conscionable drives it into transgression hands and the inherent risks associated with the achromatic marketplace travel into play, I don't deliberation it volition halt radical doing it", helium told the PA quality agency.

Steve Rolles, elder argumentation expert astatine the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, said criminalising nitrous oxide would "hand power of the merchandise to transgression gangs".

Prof Adam Winstock, an addiction medicine specializer and laminitis of the Global Drug Survey, told the BBC that getting a transgression grounds "is going to beryllium a acold greater harm than the risks for the immense bulk of radical utilizing nitrous oxide".

Reducing the risks is "better achieved with astute education, not blunt regularisation that whitethorn compound existing harms and make caller ones", helium added.

The BBC understands the prohibition would beryllium issued nether the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which regulates drugs based connected their perceived harm and imaginable for misuse.

It is already amerciable to nutrient oregon proviso the state for its psychoactive effects nether the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. The instrumentality makes production, proviso and importation of nitrous oxide for quality depletion illegal, but not possession.

Under the plan, 16 areas successful England and Wales volition get backing for either "hotspot" policing oregon a caller "immediate justice" strategy to present swift and disposable punishments. A fewer areas volition proceedings some schemes.

The areas see Northumbria, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Durham, Nottinghamshire, Merseyside, Sussex, Dorset, Northamptonshire, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Essex, Lancashire, South Wales and Staffordshire.

The authorities has defended its plans to clamp down connected laughing gas, with Policing Minister Chris Philp saying determination were concerns that nitrous oxide was being consumed connected "a precise ample scale".

Questioned astir the government's determination to determination against the ACMD's advice, helium said: "We person taken a broader presumption - considering firstly the societal harms caused by nitrous oxide, the publication it makes to anti-social behaviour, a consciousness sometimes of menace successful section communities, the littering that goes with it and besides the precise aboriginal grounds of immoderate aesculapian harm."

Speaking connected the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Mr Philp said a tougher attack connected controlling the proviso of nitrous oxide was needed "because we deliberation it is fuelling anti-social behaviour".

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said the recreational usage of laughing state is having an "unacceptable" effect connected people's cognition of information successful nationalist spaces.

"We are doing this due to the fact that if you locomotion done immoderate municipality parkland you volition spot these small metallic cannister which are the grounds of radical regarding nationalist spaces arsenic arenas for cause taking," helium said connected the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

According to the ACDM, the fig of deaths and request for attraction for problematic usage of nitrous oxide remains debased compared to different drugs.

However, determination person been reports of an summation successful neurological harms, including nervus and spinal cord damage, related to dense and persistent use.

Earlier this twelvemonth the Home Office asked the ACMD to supply proposal connected whether to marque possession of nitrous oxide a crime.

The study recommended the substance should not beryllium controlled nether the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 - which allows the usage of beingness sentences for those supplying oregon producing immoderate drugs.

The reappraisal besides recovered "no substantive grounds of links betwixt nitrous oxide and anti-social behaviour" speech from littering.

Nitrous oxide is besides regularly utilized arsenic an anaesthetic successful medicine and dentistry, and arsenic a state for making whipped pick successful cooking.

Labour backed the plans to prohibition the merchantability of nitrous oxide. Shadow civilization caput Lucy Powell said its usage "causes a immense magnitude of littering disruption and anti-social behaviour".

She added: "We bash request to tackle astatine root these benignant of behaviours that are blights connected our community."