Sunak says laughing gas review being carried out more quickly after Sky News investigation into spike in hospital admissions
The prime minister promised to carefully review the evidence on the harmful impact of nitrous oxide after our investigation showed a 'no questions asked' approach to selling the canisters in many corner shops.
Wednesday 1 March 2023 22:19, UK
Rishi Sunak has said a review into laughing gas use by children and teenagers will be completed quicker after Sky News revealed how easy it is to buy and a spike in hospital admissions linked to the substance.
During Prime Minister's Questions, he was asked by Labour MP Rosie Duffield if he would criminalise the sale of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or nos.
She said one of the "alarming" aspects of the Sky News investigation was the change in canisters from 8g to 620g and a tripling in London ambulance callouts related to their use last year.
However, Ms Duffield said young people should not be prosecuted.
She asked the PM: "Instead of criminalising the users who buy nitrous oxide, isn't it time to take urgent action against those knowingly selling this harmful and potentially life-changing substance?"
Mr Sunak said he shared her concerns about its "detrimental impact on communities, its contribution to anti-social behaviour".
A review into nitrous oxide by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - due on Monday - is particularly looking at the question of criminalising users.
The PM added: "The home secretary has asked them to expedite that review and we will consider their advice carefully when it is received."
Inhaling nitrous oxide can give users a 30-second high that makes them feel dizzy and lightweight.
It is legitimately used in hospitals, dental surgeries, and professional kitchens for whipped cream or as a food preservative, but is increasingly being used by young people.
However, it is illegal to sell for recreational use, and illegal to sell to anyone under 18.
Suppliers can get fined and receive up to seven years in prison, but only four people have been held in relation to nitrous oxide in the West Midlands since the Psychoactive Substances Act was passed in 2016.
Doctors have also reported a spike in hospital admissions from the use of the gas, which prompted the review.
Some campaigners now want tougher restrictions and have called for a ban on the sale and use of nitrous oxide, such is in place in the Netherlands.
No questions asked
Sky News used a hidden camera to film corner shops selling nitrous oxide without verifying age or checking it would not be used for recreational purposes.
All of them also supplied balloons - commonly used to inhale the gas.
We were given a list of shops that had already been reported to West Midlands Police as being suspected of selling the substance.
Our reporter walked up to the counter of the first shop and asked for a canister. The woman replied, "Yes, which one? The big one?"
She picked up a canister bigger than a hairspray can from below the counter, put it in a shopping bag and offered a receipt for our £30 purchase.
The next shop took us through a door in the back to their stack of canisters. They asked us to hand them our rucksack and put one inside, no questions asked.
Shop assistants did not inquire about our age or what we intended to do with it - and every one added a packet of party balloons.
'It's messed up my life'
Musa, not his real name, is evidence of what laughing gas can do to the human body.
The 20-year-old is facing potentially life-changing consequences after he was rushed to hospital just weeks ago after losing the feeling in his legs and feet.
In the weeks before, he was consuming multiple large canisters of nitrous oxide, almost on a daily basis.
His MRI scan showed he has developed a spinal cord abnormality and doctors cannot yet tell when or to what extent this will repair.
"This could be a permanent thing. It's messed up my life. I've got dreams and ambitions," Musa said.
Dr David Nicholl, the clinical lead for neurology at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said he sees dozens of patients aged 16-24 admitted to his ward every month for nitrous oxide abuse.
He said it's a huge rise from previous years and that admissions have increased since large canister brands began to flood the market in 2021.
Patients can suffer from a range of problems, from loss of mobility to mental health issues and sexual dysfunction.
Two nitrous oxide patients have even had to have drains inserted into their brains to save their eyesight.
In very severe cases the consequences can be deadly, with the gas related to the deaths of 62 people since 2001.
"Maybe once every five or six years, I'll see a patient who's had a stroke from taking cocaine.
"Yet every week I'm seeing this in my ward. So from my point of view, this is actually a bigger problem," Dr Nicholl said.