Laughing gas will be on List II of the Opium Act from 1 January 2023. This means that both possession and sale of the drug for recreational use are prohibited in the Netherlands. This is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport announced Monday. So-called whipped cream cartridges may only be sold with an exemption if they are used in, for example, the catering industry for whipped cream syringes.
Nitrous oxide is gas that gives a short but intense intoxication. The drug has become increasingly popular among young people in recent years, often in combination with other drugs. As a result of the increasing use, accidents have become more frequent in recent years after motorists used nitrous oxide behind the wheel. In some large Dutch cities, laughing gas bans were already introduced in certain neighborhoods in 2020 and 2021 after the nuisance caused by users in public spaces became too great.
In July of this year, the Council of State advised not to introduce a total ban on nitrous oxide, but to draw more attention to prevention and information. However, the cabinet now writes that a ban should be introduced as soon as possible “because of the major risks of laughing gas consumption”.
According to State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen (Christian Union, Public Health) there are “enormous health risks” associated with the use of nitrous oxide and according to Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD), authorities can take action sooner with a ban. “Now that is only possible when someone uses nitrous oxide and causes nuisance or dangerous situations in traffic,” said Yesilgöz in a statement. “With the ban, the police will soon be able to take immediate action if someone has non-professional laughing gas in his possession and has balloons with gas bottles in the car.”