Clamping Down on Nitrous Oxide
If you live near any town centre in the UK then the chances are that you have seen empty nitrous oxide cannisters littering the streets.
Commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is popular amongst the under-24 age group for its psychoactive effect. The drug is often referred to as a ‘legal high’ but that is a slight misnomer because supply of nitrous oxide is illegal under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.
Previously the government has made no move to make possession of the drug illegal but that could soon change since the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review the harm that laughing gas can cause. As she noted in a statement:
“Misusing drugs can have a devastating impact on lives and communities. We are determined to do all we can to address this issue and protect the futures of our children and young people.”
Putting the littering problem to one side the actual negative health effects are relatively minimal.
While the Home Office points to long-term effects such as vitamin B12 deficiency and anaemia there have only been six deaths associated with nitrous oxide compared with thousands of alcohol-related deaths each year. Furthermore, given that the only effect of laughing gas is a brief feeling of euphoria, any deaths have resulted from a lack of Oxygen rather than being a direct effect of the drug.
Once more this is an area where the law could do more harm than good. Making possession illegal would have minimal benefits but creates a climate of fear and lumps hundreds of young people with a criminal record that will stay with them, affect their prospects and exacerbate social inequality.
As is often the case with drugs, a question of public health is being addressed by using the criminal justice system and ultimately that deepens the problem without tackling the root cause.
In the podcast this week we have an interesting contract law case that covers the subject of negligence. Does it just refer to the tort or can it also mean negligence within the contract itself? Listen to find out:
Episode link: http://uklawweekly.com/2021-uksc-29/
Make a difference today,
Marcus