PCC Seeks Crackdown on Widespread Sales of ‘Laughing Gas’ in Surrey

Published on: 30 Nov, 2019
Updated on: 1 Dec, 2019

PCC David Munro with a Nitrous Oxide canister.

David Munro, Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has asked the Home Office to consider urgent action to tackle the increased recreational use of nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas”.

The PCC said the canisters are easy to get hold of and their use among young people is a growing concern in Surrey.

Although supply of nitrous oxide for psychoactive purposes is strictly illegal, the gas is readily available for legitimate use in medicine, baking or for aerosols and can be bought easily online or in party shops.

Mr Munro wrote to the Policing Minister, Kit Malthouse, asking the Home Office to take note of recent legislation changes on other psychoactive substances and consider what to do about nitrous oxide.

He cited rising concerns at the effects on the health and behaviour of young people inhaling the gas and the negative impact on local residents as reasons why attention needed to be given to the issue.

The Policing Minister has said the government is taking active steps to address the issue, outlining the law and guidance for retailers to pay particular attention to the potential for abuse by customers. This includes the need to protect the safety of young people and vulnerable groups.

Mr Munro said: “I speak to residents regularly across the county and I am all too often hearing that the use of nitrous oxide is causing real concern in a number of areas.

“Council officers are regularly having to clear up large numbers of canisters from local parks and the use by groups of young people is having a negative impact on some of our local communities.

“Police can take proportionate action to any reports of associated anti-social behaviour but they are very limited about what they can do on this issue.

“These canisters can be easily and cheaply bought online or from some shops, so preventing them from being shared and used is extremely difficult.

“To test this, I went online and was able to purchase some to be delivered to my home address with no checks whatsoever.

“I believe this is an increasing problem which needs to be addressed so we can alert people to the potential health dangers and ensure these canisters are much more difficult for young people to access.”

This story is based on a PCC press release.

Responses to PCC Seeks Crackdown on Widespread Sales of ‘Laughing Gas’ in Surrey

Martin Elliott Reply

November 30, 2019 at 11:16 am

So, as usual, the political PCC attacks the material not the root cause of anti-social behaviour.

As he now admits there are many legal uses for tonnes of nitrous oxide. Whilst alcohol is mainly social use, nitrous oxide is virtually essential in primary pain relief in medicine. How many people injured in an accident are offered “Gas/air” for the pain, carried in every ambulance. That’s Entonox, a 50/50 mix of nitrous oxide/oxygen.

When I worked for BOC Gases in the 90s, we were shipping tens of tonnes a week in tankers, from the manufacturing site, just for cans of whipped cream.

By all means, like alcohol, look at a practical method to restrict use for recreational use, but don’t damage the perfectly legal and essential uses.
Sue Fox Reply

December 2, 2019 at 12:10 pm

We’ve had an incident of youngsters inhaling the gas on our drive at night. The road is one of the main arteries into Guildford they made a heck of a racket and despite two dogs barking incessantly were too out of it to move. I was worried that they would stagger into the road. The police arrived promptly but, of course, by then the youths were gone. The following morning we found a canister of gas and a deflated balloon.

The medicinal use is fine but for any other use it is not green and should be restricted. You can whip cream etc with a beater. It’s not necessary to squirt.