Investigation finds laughing gas sales continue in Birmingham despite ban
Sales of Nitrous Oxide - or laughing gas - canisters are still available in Birmingham as shops find new ways to store and sell them to minors and others according to trading standards officers.
Nitrous oxide was categorised as a Class C drug in late 2023, making it a crime to possess or sell it for recreational purposes.
But Birmingham Trading Standards officers found some deals had just "gone underground" in the city rather than stopping altogether.
They raided a shop in Birmingham where around a dozen laughing gas canisters were found in the side alleyway.
It is estimated about 290 nitrous oxide canisters have been seized from shops in the city since last September, according to Birmingham City Council's trading standards department.
Before the ban came into force in November 2023, laughing gas was one of the most commonly used recreational drugs by 16 to 24-year-olds and its use had soared during the pandemic.
A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said people were drawn to laughing gas because it is "fashionable"
The substance can make people feel relaxed and light-headed when inhaled, but it can also cause headaches, fainting, and make some users anxious.
The gas remains legal in some settings – it is commonly used as a painkiller in medicine and dentistry, and it is also used to make whipped cream.
In the year ending in March 2024, 0.9% of people aged 16-59 used nitrous oxide, down from 1.3% the previous year, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics., external
There was a rate of 3.3% amongst those aged 16 to 24, which showed no statistically significant change versus the previous year, although levels were lower compared to a decade earlier.
