The N-VA wants a total ban on the sale of nitrous oxide cartridges

Should Belgium, like the Netherlands, ban the sale of nitrous oxide cartridges? The N-VA certainly thinks so. A total ban on the sale of nitrous oxide cartridges is urgently needed. MPs Kathleen Depoorter and Wouter Raskin have prepared a bill: “Let’s not hesitate and follow the example of our northern neighbours.”

Nitrous oxide, along with cocaine, cannabis and XTC, is one of the most common drugs available today. But it is not without danger, says MP Wouter Raskin: “The use of nitrous oxide causes a feeling of drowsiness, a reduced ability to react and distorted perception.”

Serious effects on health, the environment and road safety

However, the current regulations are not sufficient to tackle the problem adequately. Nitrous oxide cannot be detected by a test, in contrast to alcohol and other drugs. But it is not only road safety that is negatively affected by nitrous oxide use. The harmful impact on health and the environment is also significant.  “A total ban on the sale of nitrous oxide cartridges is therefore urgently needed. It is already prohibited to sell such cartridges to minors today, but unfortunately, this is not enough to curb the problem,” says MP Kathleen Depoorter.

Exceptions

Depoorter and Raskin’s bill has an important exception for the sale of nitrous oxide cartridges for medical use. For example, dentists use it as a short-acting pain-relieving drug. In addition, an exception is also provided for its use as a food additive, such as in the catering sector, and other justified uses, which must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

A step in the right direction

MPs Depoorter and Raskin also realise that a national sales ban is not a miracle solution. “It will not stop sales over the internet and abroad, but any initiative that raises the threshold for the purchase and use of nitrous oxide as a narcotic, especially among young people, is a step in the right direction. The future will tell whether additional measures will be necessary, for example, regarding the possession and transport of nitrous oxide cartridges.”