The sale of laughing gas to the public will be banned as part of a wider crackdown on anti-social behaviour, a Cabinet minister has confirmed. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said the “scourge” of nitrous oxide is turning public spaces into “drug-taking arenas” and is helping fuel anti-social behaviour that ministers are determined to stamp out.
The ban comes despite an assessment by the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) concluding it would be disproportionate to bring in an outright ban given the level of harm associated with nitrous oxide. But Mr Gove said he agrees with a view pushed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman that tougher action is required.
Mr Sunak is due to outline a series of hard-hitting measures on Monday designed to clamp down on low-level crime, with plans for offenders slapped with community orders to be cleaning up their own graffiti or vandalism within 48 hours. Downing Street said the plans will include perpetrators wearing jumpsuits or hi-vis jackets while they carry out punishments, which could include washing police cars or carrying out unpaid work in shops.
