A study of patients in England has found that young people experiencing neurological harm from laughing gas abuse are more likely to be Asian and male. While these findings are tentative, they suggest that there may be a racial disparity in the effects of using nitrous oxide. Research on the medical impacts of drug abuse shows that racial inequalities are not uncommon. For example, a report from the USA found that Hispanic White groups were 20 times more at risk from health impacts from cocaine abuse compared to African Americans. Overall, the study’s findings suggest that we still do not know the full impacts of laughing gas abuse, what impacts it might have on health, and whether it affects certain ethnic groups more strongly than others. For this reason, caution should be expressed when crafting legislation around nitrous oxide.
The sale of the drug for recreational use has been banned in the UK since 2016, but the UK Government is proposing to crack down on the public sale of nitrous oxide, fully banning the sale of the drug. However, this has been opposed by the Scottish Government, despite the issue being a reserved matter. The Scottish Conservatives have asked the SNP to be more willing to engage in discussions with the UK Government to ensure that public safety is prioritised when dealing with drug legislation.
Jamie Greene, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice said in February this year: “This is an issue which must be examined carefully and the SNP Government must give consideration to the proposals outlined by the UK Government and not oppose for opposing sake”. The findings of this recent study would add weight to this suggestion. As worldwide research is finding an increase in avoidable harm from nitrous oxide abuse, the Scottish Government should be wary about giving the green light to its unrestricted sale across Scotland. Doing so may at worst contribute to the nation’s rampant drug problem, which has negatively impacted the health of the country for the last two decades.