Nitrous Oxide: Laughing gas to become illegal next month – as dealers face 14 years in jail
Nitrous Oxide will be illegal from next month as part of a government crackdown on anti-social behaviour, it has been announced.
The substance, also known as laughing gas or NOS, will become a controlled Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) from 8 November.
Serial users could face up to two years in prison while the maximum sentence for dealers has doubled to 14 years behind bars, the Home Office has confirmed.
People caught with nitrous oxide with the intention of wrongfully inhaling it to get high could also be handed an unlimited fine, a “visible” community punishment, or a caution, which would appear on their criminal record.
The new law comes after ministers vowed to take action on “flagrant” drug taking in communities, with nitrous oxide linked to anti-social behaviour including “intimidating gatherings”, while empty cannisters are often discarded in public spaces.
Heavy users expose themselves to significant health risks including anaemia, nerve damage and paralysis, while nitrous oxide also has the potential to cause fatal drug-diving accidents.
The drug is the second most commonly used drug among 16 to 24-year-olds in England after cannabis, amid growing concerns about health problems caused by its usage.
A Sky News undercover investigation revealed how obtaining nitrous oxide from corner shops was “as easy as buying a loaf of bread” – as one user, aged 20, told how a laughing gas addiction “messed up his life”, leaving him with a spinal abnormality that could be permanent.
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Crime and Policing Minister on anti-social behaviour
Crime and Policing Minister, Chris Philp, said both users and dealers would “face the full force of the law”.
“We are delivering on the promise we made to take a zero-tolerance approach towards anti-social behaviour and flagrant drug taking in our public spaces,” he said.
“Abuse of nitrous oxide is also dangerous to people’s health and today, we are sending a clear signal to young people that there are consequences for misusing drugs.”
The drug can continue to be legitimately used for purposes including in professional kitchens, dentists and in maternity wards as pain relief.
However, ministers have called on producers and suppliers to “be responsible” and not “reckless” about the reasons the drug is being purchased.
It will be an offence to “turn a blind eye”, the Home Office warned.
Laughing gas canisters collected after the Notting Hill Carnival in September this year
The ban has been backed by the CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, John Hayward-Cripps, who said increased consumption of the drug has been connected to reports of a rise in anti-social behaviour, such as littering.
The new legislation will be a “positive move” that will make “local communities a better and safer place to live”, he added.
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, a trade organisation that gives a voice to late night industries, also welcomed the announcement.
Nitrous oxide has placed a “substantial” burden on businesses and posed risks to the well-being of staff and customers, Mr Kill said.
It has also “fostered an environment conducive to petty crime, anti-social behaviour and the activities of organised crime syndicates”, he added.
Read more:
Laughing gas sparks ‘epidemic’ of young people being hospitalised
Misuse of party drug ‘is no joke’, neurologist warns
Tonnes of cannisters collected after Notting Hill Carnival
However some believe a clamp down is unwise and unnecessary.
Harry Summall, a professor in substance use at Liverpool John Moores University, told Sky News earlier this year that criminalising nitrous oxide could encourage people to buy the drug from the dark web or try other substances.
“There are more than 600,000 nitrous oxide users in the UK, and most people, if they are using it, are going to be using it a few times a year, at really low levels of risk.”
The independent Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) stopped short of recommending a ban on laughing gas after being commissioned to conduct a review in 2021.
After examining the dangers of the substance, the ACMD said it “should not be subjected to control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971”.
It concluded that the sanctions of offences under the act would be disproportionate with the level of harm associated with nitrous oxide – and that control could create “significant burdens” for legitimate uses of the substance.
All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.
Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.
“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”
But passengers continue to feel the effects.
A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.
And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.
Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.
Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.
“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”
Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted
Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
One passenger was on a plane when they found out.
They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.
“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”
Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.
“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”
It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.
“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.
“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”
There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.
It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.
Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”
The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.
An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.
A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.
Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.
It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.
Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre
Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.
“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”
Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.
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