Nitrous oxide will become a class C drug in the UK and carry up to two years in jail for possession.

There will be exemptions for legitimate uses of nitrous oxide, for example in medical or catering industries. The gas is commonly used as a painkiller and for producing whipped cream in cooking.

  • TWeaKEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I didn’t say it was simple, but it’s straightforward and very far from unfeasible.

    • RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      It sure is a thing that can be done, it’s just a lot of effort and possibly cost for what it might achieve

      • TWeaKEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        But there are tons of costs with criminalisation, too. The cost of police time, the cost of court time, the cost of prison, the loss of production from otherwise good citizens being made into criminals. Which is the better use of public resources? Which would be more effective at actually preventing cannisters from being left around everywhere?

        Edit: If anything, making it illegal could lead to more litter. People aren’t going to hang on to their empties if they could be used as evidence of a crime.

          • TWeaKEnglish
            1·
            10 months ago

            Well, cannisters are the only real problem here. All the expert advise said the drug was a non-issue, however there are certainly a lot of cannisters being left all over the place, creating a visible problem. Criminalising it probably won’t do anything about the visible problem, it will just incur costs and make otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals.

            • RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyzEnglish
              1·
              10 months ago

              I was just saying that the deposit systems aren’t as simple as one might initially think.

              I’ve done laughing gas and while it was fun I don’t really care whether it’s legal or not. It seems like a very minor thing.

            • MidgePhoto@photog.social
              1·
              10 months ago

              @TWeaK @RaivoKulli B12 consumption causing spinal cord degeneration is an issue.
              Also N2O is a greenhouse gas, and supports combustion more effectively than pure oxygen, not very bad in small quantities and controlle,d spaces.

              • TWeaKEnglish
                1·
                10 months ago

                Yes, there are problems with long term or excessive use, I shouldn’t have said it was a non-issue.