Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take further steps to help prevent the use of nitrous oxide.

The Government controlled nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, on 8 November 2023. We are keeping implementation of the ban under review with police forces and key stakeholders and have committed to publishing a broad-ranging assessment of the effect of the control of nitrous oxide under this act, due to be published three years from the date of its control in November 2026.

We have worked with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Association to develop lesson plans on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which include specific references to the dangers of nitrous oxide. The lesson plans target primary and secondary school students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and to keep themselves healthy and safe. They are available at the following link:

https://pshe-association.org.uk/drugeducation

The Government also has a drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce drug and alcohol misuse and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents and concerned others. Information on nitrous oxide and the danger of its misuse is available at the following link:

https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/nitrous-oxide