Nitrous oxide ban: What the Dutch do in January, the Brits do in March

Detritus in the Netherlands but it could easily be any street in Britain. Photo: Hansmuller. CC BY-SA 4.0

At the start of the year, the Netherlands’ ban on the sale, import and possession of laughing gas or nitrous oxide came into effect.

Three months later, the British government announced plans to ban the sale of laughing gas.

Better late than never, I suppose.

It’s part of a major initiative to stop parks and other public spaces in Britain from openly becoming drug-taking arenas, with the users implicitly taking away the message that society accepts their actions and will not intervene.

Finally, in 2023, Britain’s Conservative government is setting out to address antisocial behaviour. Michael Gove, who holds the Levelling up portfolio — terminology that harks back to the days of Boris boosterism —  explained the whys and wherefores of the laughing gas ban.

He said: “I think any of us who have had the opportunity to walk through our parks in our major cities will have seen these little ca…