There will be exemptions for legitimate uses of nitrous oxide, for example in medical or catering industries. The gas is commonly used as a painkiller and for producing whipped cream in cooking.

  • @cruel_excess@lemmy.world
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    1012 years ago

    So, according to the article, supplying Nitrous for recreational use is already illegal. If it is such a big problem, what is banning possession going to do other than ruin more lives? It is kind of wild that this is the solution they came up with given the history of drug prohibition worldwide and the fact that UK is one of the originators of harm reduction.

    Sigh… making the same mistakes and expecting different results when plenty of research out there shows that treating poverty and depression does more to reduce drug use and other risky/antisocial behaviour than putting people in jail for it.

    The article also mentions that the majority of people who use it are between 16 and 24 years old. Great way to end up with hardened criminals down the line.

    • @thehatfox@lemmy.world
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      252 years ago

      Most of our political establishment is still in complete denial about the failure of the war on drugs. They keep doubling down on prohibition because they can’t accept it doesn’t work.

      I’m not sure what or who it will take to wake up Westminster to the reality. Those few that have tried to change the course, such as David Nutt, have had little success. The Liberal Democrats still have cannabis legalisation as a policy, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they step back from that as they eye up more traditionally Tory seats (if they haven’t already).

      • Echo Dot
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        52 years ago

        I wish they would just make cannabis legal, and then just not make a big thing of it. It’s such a non-policy when you think about it, “oh we’re going to stop criminalising people who’ve barely done anything wrong, aren’t we wonderful”.

        They view every policy as something that will either gain them votes or lose them votes so the idea of just doing something quietly is alien to them.

    • @ilikekeyboards@lemmy.world
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      12 years ago

      It’s alright though. All these can users are all white kids. Can’t believe this foreign owned government to start a drug war against a race that’s not not white

  • t0m5k1
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    442 years ago

    Yaaaay another black market. Just what the government needs, gotta keep the black budget funded.

    • @smeg@feddit.uk
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      12 years ago

      Think kids are going to bother getting NOx once it’s illegal? If you’re going to be a criminal anyway why not go for some proper drugs? This law will probably stop some and push others onto harder stuff.

    • TWeaK
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      342 years ago

      So why not make it legitimate with a deposit scheme?

      • Blake [he/him]
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        332 years ago

        And even better, also legalise drugs like weed which these are being used as a legal substitute for?

        • TWeaK
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          52 years ago

          Absolutely, although I wouldn’t say NOS is substituted for weed all that much. Also, the legal limit for weed and driving should be raised, particularly since the government asked the scientific community where the level of impairment was and then set it lower.

          • @Worx@lemmynsfw.com
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            82 years ago

            I’m in favour of legalising drugs, but driving is dangerous and should only be done when you are sober and able to give your full attention.

            • TWeaK
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              52 years ago

              Absolutely, however if the level of intoxication is below the level of impairment, then the drug is not having a negative effect on driving.

            • @Tropic420@discuss.tchncs.de
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              22 years ago

              We have this discussion currently about Weed in Germany. Its so annoying to See articles with headlines Like “cannabis behind the wheel” etc. Noone ist advocating for people to Drive under the influence. But If i smoked a Joint on friday and get stopped on monday, i’ll lose my drivers license even though im sober. Drugs stay in your system way longer than the actual effect.

      • RaivoKulli
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        12 years ago

        It’s a lot of effort to built up such a deposit system

        • TWeaK
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          52 years ago

          It’s in no way unfeasible - and the deposits end up paying for the ongoing operation of the system.

          Which is better, addressing the littering problem directly, or criminalising and litigating against a bunch of people with a law that can’t be enforced if they have a can of cream on them?

          • RaivoKulli
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            32 years ago

            The deposit is just a deposit, it doesn’t pay for anything. Are you sure you understand how the deposit in this case works? You pay for something and you get that back when you return the item.

            Maybe you should look into something like the Finnish bottle deposit scheme. It’s great but those take quite some time and effort to set up and get running properly.

            • TWeaK
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              12 years ago

              Not everyone returns and collects the deposit back, these deposits end up funding the operations.

              If the Finnish scheme is anything like the German scheme, that’s what I was thinking of. Although it doesn’t need to be quite so widespread with machines inside every supermarket.

              • RaivoKulli
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                12 years ago

                They’ll have to wait with just taking the deposit money since for quite a long time you wouldn’t know if they’re returning it or not. And if it’s anything like other systems, you can return it to different place than the one you paid for, which requires moving money around and whatnot. And there’s the issue of getting them from the stores to be recycled and overall upkeep and governance of the system and so on.

                The systems are a lot more complex than one might think at first.

                • TWeaK
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                  12 years ago

                  I didn’t say it was simple, but it’s straightforward and very far from unfeasible.

                • MidgePhoto
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                  02 years ago

                  @RaivoKulli @TWeaK if someone hands you 10 cans, they’ve handed you 10 cans. How don’t you know?
                  They don’t need tracking.

                  (If a store hands you 100kg of cans, they’ve handed you 100kg. Audit would need you to weigh them and know their name, but little else.)

  • @byroon@lemmy.world
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    232 years ago

    “There will be exemptions for legitimate uses of nitrous oxide” Legitimate just means legal so this sentence is saying it will be legal to use it in a legal way… Pretty stupid

  • @kool_newt@lemm.ee
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    202 years ago

    Sounds like a new way to criminalize young people. Not from UK, can this be used to disenfranchise people?

  • @byroon@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Cannabis is being legalised across America and in Germany. Meanwhile Tories are trying to expand the failed war on drugs

  • Echo Dot
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    112 years ago

    I feel like it’s actually kind of already an illicit substance and therefore illegal.

    So at this point they’re just making laws to make things that are already illegal more illegal but it doesn’t matter because none of them are enforced anyway.

    • @BirdyBoogleBop@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      42 years ago

      You can go online and buy as much laughing gas as you want for your whipping cream needs. Sounds like they are banning that at the end of the year.

      • Echo Dot
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        22 years ago

        Will they even still be in power at the end of the year? I think they’re just saying this for the sake of saying something.

        • @mounderfod@lemmy.sdf.org
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          12 years ago

          They will because they don’t have to call an election until next year, and god knows they’ll try to cling on to power as long as possible

          • Echo Dot
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            12 years ago

            There’s a lot of pressure on Rishi Sunak right now to call an early election. Primarily because the back benches just automatically assume that there’s going to be more revelations coming (or equally possible they actually know something), and at this point they actually limiting damage by getting out of power early.

            They are thinking about the election cycle after this one.

    • Bakkoda
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      2 years ago

      I use it for my nitro cold brew. Am I gonna have to break laws just to continue drinking my own nitro cold brew?

    • @merridew@feddit.ukOP
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      92 years ago

      Tear gas is not legal in the UK. Being found in possession of it can lead to a prison sentence of between 6 months and 10 years, and a fine.

  • AboyBboy
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    42 years ago

    I need Nos. One of these big ones. Actually, make that 2. And Harry, I need it by tonight.

  • StarWarcherTim
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    32 years ago

    Is this the same NOS used to give dragsters a boost? Ok, that is illegal on most streets but a legitimate use on certain tracks.

    • @Revan343@lemmy.ca
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      62 years ago

      This is about its use as a drug, rather than its use in racing.

      Also, I’d imagine racing NOS isn’t as pure as the food-grade NOS people use recreationally

  • Kyoyeou (Ki jəʊ juː)
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    22 years ago

    Genuine No Stupid Question: Doesn’t this gaz Affect like the Nerve System which means that it kills slowly people? Compare to something like Cannabis which temporarily only alters the sense but does not damage the body?