Britain on Wednesday banned the recreational use and possession of nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, an official said, adding that people caught producing, supplying or selling the drug would be punished. Will have to face a long prison sentence.
The government said the substance, which produces a feeling of euphoria, relaxation and detachment from reality, posed a health hazard as well as promoted rowdy behaviour. reuters informed of.
In an official statement, Britain’s Police Minister Chris Philip said, “For too long the use of this drug in public places has contributed to anti-social behavior which is a blight on communities. We will not accept this.”
Under the new ban, people who repeatedly abuse laughing gas could be fined or jailed for up to two years, with the maximum prison sentence for drug dealing doubled to 14 years.
Health Ministry figures state that nitrous oxide is the third most common drug used by 16 to 24-year-olds, and that heavy use can lead to anemia and, in more severe cases, nerve damage or paralysis. Is. reuters Report.
Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in September this year that people were “fed up” with drug use in public places, with discarded gas canisters littering Britain’s streets.
The government said the ban exempts its legitimate uses, including in health care, dentistry and other industries. It says a license will not be required, but users will have to demonstrate they are “legally in possession” of the drug and do not intend to ingest it.
Nitrous oxide will be prescribed as a “Class C” drug and classified in the “least harmful” category of drugs under UK laws, along with anabolic steroids, benzodiazepines and growth hormones.
The ban, first proposed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government in March and now imposed under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, is part of a wider crackdown on lawlessness ahead of a possible general election next year.
(With Reuters inputs)
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Updated: 08 November 2023, 12:10 PM IST
