Nitrous oxide: Laughing gas sales to be banned, says Gove

The merchantability of laughing state volition beryllium banned nether plans to tackle anti-social behaviour, Michael Gove has announced.

The levelling up caput told the BBC nitrous oxide tin person a "damaging effect connected young brains" and its nationalist usage tin pb to "greater lawlessness".

The Advisory Council connected the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) precocious advised against caller laws to prohibition nitrous oxide.

Nitrous oxide, sold successful metallic canisters, is known arsenic NOS and is the 2nd most-used cause by UK 16 to 24-year-olds.

Speaking connected the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Gove said: "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.

"It is unacceptable. People should consciousness those spaces are being looked aft successful a mode which means they are harmless for children."

The details of the prohibition person not yet been released. 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.

Mr Gove said the cause has an "intoxicating and perchance damaging effect connected young brains and young tense systems".

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.

It said sanctions for the offences would beryllium disproportionate with the level of harm associated with nitrous oxide, arsenic good arsenic creating "significant burdens" for morganatic uses of the substance.

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

Currently, non-legitimate usage of the substance is controlled nether the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, which the assembly said "remains due legislation".

The Act makes production, proviso and importation of nitrous oxide for inhalation illegal, but not possession.

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."

Public cause use, fly-tipping and low-level crimes specified arsenic graffiti are to beryllium targeted with a strategy of "hotspot" policing and "short and sharp" punishments.

People who vandalise nationalist spaces volition person to repair the harm they origin wrong 48 hours of being fixed an order.

A pilot, covering 10 areas, aims to amusement the nationalist specified acts are "quickly and visibly" punished.

Ms Powell said the plans "amount to nothing".

Labour person besides accused the authorities of cutting neighbourhood policing, starring to less offenders being punished.

"We've heard it each earlier from this authorities and I deliberation we person to justice them by their record," Ms Powell added.