The debate around nitrous oxide abuse is no laughing matter

The government which claims to be ‘led by science’ isn’t interested when the science contradicts its ideology, writes Ian Hamilton

Nitrous oxide is widely used and is second only to cannabis in its popularity (PA Archive)

Few will have heard of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), but it provides scientific advice to the government in relation to – you guessed it – drugs.

Initially, the previous home secretary Priti Patel asked the ACMD to review the evidence of harm caused by nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas. Reporting to the latest home secretary Suella Braverman the ACMD has surprisingly rejected a call for nitrous oxide to be banned.

Both home secretaries have made no secret of their desire to place the drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, thus restricting access to it. They cite the growing concern of some medics about an increase in incidents where following use of the drug people have developed neurological problems; everything from memory loss through to paralysis.