The Home Office is ready to ban the sale and possession of laughing gas in a bid to crack down on anti-social behaviour.
Ministers want laws put in place that allows those found with nitrous oxide gas in public to be prosecuted.
The party drug, commonly known as laughing gas, is the second most commonly used drug among 16 to 24-year-olds in England after cannabis
Concerns have been raised about health problems caused by its usage.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Anti-social behaviour causes misery in communities and we are determined to crack down on this scourge to protect our streets.
“We have been clear we want to see common sense policing to keep our communities safe.
“That is why we are actively considering a ban on the sale and use of this harmful drug and will ask the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to hasten their delivery of the report we commissioned, which we will carefully consider in reaching any decision.”
If new laws were put in place, only those with a “legitimate reason” for possessing the drug would be exempt from the ban, such as chefs who use it in products liked whipped cream or doctors using it for pain relief.
Current legislation bans the knowing or reckless supply of nitrous oxide for inhalation, but there have been calls for a ban on all direct consumer sales as part of a tightening up of the law.
The substance is already being reviewed by the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, but policing minister Chris Philp wants this to be fast-tracked to April with the hope a formal announcement could be made as part of the government’s anti-social behaviour strategy due later this year.
The punishment for being caught is likely to be similar to sentences for class C drugs, with those in possession facing up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine and those supplying the drug facing a maximum 14-year sentence.
