Laughing gas will still be confiscated in Sandwell despite Government stopping short of ban

Abbey councillor Bob Piper introduced a three-year public space protection order (PSPO) which allows police and wardens to confiscate nitrous oxide canisters.

This week independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published a report, commissioned by the Home Office in 2021, which found laughing gas "should not be subjected to control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971".

Bakers use Nitrous Oxide in cream products but it is also consumed through balloons by people wanting a quick high, the discarded cannisters are a familiar site across the Black Country.

Councillor Piper told the Express & Star: "The Government might not want to ban nitrous oxide but we will carry on confiscating them from people in Sandwell.

"Because it is legal we cannot prosecute users but we can continue to do what we have been doing for 18 months. Nitrous oxide is known to be dangerous and is linked to anti-social behaviour.

"The littering of these canisters we find lying around is potentially dangerous for animals and young children who may pick them up. Also for people mowing the grass, they can be quite damaging."

He added: "They are also considered by the public to be highly related to elements of anti-social behaviour."

Much stronger "Smartwhip" bottles, which are over 76 times more powerful than the small cannisters, have become popular over the last year which has been altering user's voices causing "whip mouth" and has seen a rise in hospital admissions.

The ACMD report suggested pursuing "universal prevention activity" focused on nitrous oxide - such as education resources for young people and schools, a national campaign reporting the health risks of heavy use and information made available, such as at festivals.

Interventions should also include tackling non-legitimate supply of the drug, for example by restricting direct-to-consumer sales and closing down websites selling the substance for non-legitimate uses, it says.

The report concluded: "No single recommendation on its own is likely to be sufficient to successfully reduce the harms associated with nitrous oxide use."

The Government commissioned the report following what it described as a "concerning" rise in use among young people, with the substance the second most-used drug among 16 to 24-year-olds.

Officials had urged the panel to speed up the delivery of its report on the issue.

A Home Office spokesman said: "This Government is working to crack down on drug misuse in our communities, that is why we asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to provide updated advice on nitrous oxide.

"We thank them for their report, which we will now consider."