- UK MPs Vote to Reclassify Nitrous Oxide as Class C Substance
- Concerns and Controversies Surrounding the Proposed Nitrous Oxide Ban
- Balancing Regulation: Medical and Commercial Uses of Nitrous Oxide
MPs decisively voted to designate laughing gas as a class C substance, making it almost illegal.
The new law punishes nitrous oxide possession with two years in prison or a large fine.
Among adolescents, it is one of the most frequently used recreational substances.
Critics have cautioned the government against using arrests to “solve a public health problem.
The House of Representatives approved the measure 404 to 36, and the House of Lords is unlikely to oppose it.
Medical uses of nitrous oxide, such as during childbirth, will continue to be permitted, as will commercial uses.
The substance, which is sold in metal canisters, can cause migraines and make some users anxious or paranoid. While excessive use can cause individuals to pass out or lose consciousness.
According to a government report citing several scientific studies, intensive, frequent use can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency, which can cause neurological injury.
Nitrous oxide would also be controlled as a class C substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971. Along with diazepam, GHB, and GBL, if the proposed legislation is passed.
Distribution or manufacture can result in 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine; possession is two years.
Chris Philp, minister of public safety, stated that neurological facilities had seen an “extremely alarming” number of paralyzed or seriously injured drug users.
Alex Norris, representing Labour, said the legal change was minimal and his party would not oppose it.
The Scottish National Party also opposed the prohibition, with spokesperson Alison Thewliss describing drug abuse as a matter of public health.
“You cannot arrest your way out of a public health issue,” she stated.
Health professionals have also previously cautioned against a moratorium, stating that it could prevent users from seeking medical care.
Conservative MP Dan Poulter, a doctor for the National Health Service, opposed the law change, stating that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs “did not believe that the medical harms of nitrous oxide posed anything close to the significance of many other street drugs or alcohol.”
He added that a moratorium would serve little purpose other than to disrupt legitimate businesses that supply the gas.
Mr. Philp stated that exemptions to the prohibition would be “extremely broad” to ensure that the government does not “unintentionally stymie” its legitimate use for medical research or commercial purposes.
