Ireland should follow the example of the Netherlands and ban laughing gas for recreational use, Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins has said.
It comes after the EU drugs agency expressed concern at the increasing growth in the supply and recreational use of laughing gas by Irish young people.
Research from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction shows almost one in four Irish people said they had used the gas – otherwise known as nitrous oxide – at some stage in their lives with 3.7% claiming they had taken it in the previous 12 months.
