Nitrous Oxide

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

Monday 13th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

It is a very real tension that my noble friend mentions. It is important, particularly in a school or youth club context, that young people who see the use of nitrous oxide have an opportunity to talk to a teacher, parent or youth worker, both to understand the consequences of that use and to find mechanisms to help other young people stop using that product. We keep strongly under review a whole range of mechanisms. Both the Department for Education in England and the Department of Health look at information and support to young people to help meet the very objective that my noble friend has mentioned.

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB)]

My Lords, as the use of nitrous oxide involves the substance hitting the opioid receptors, as with heroin and other drugs, will the Government undertake education of young people in schools, for whom the addictive potential of all these substances is much higher than in the older population? Sometimes substances such as nitrous oxide are used by dealers as an inroad to begin to create an addiction and then to get people on to much more harmful substances after that.

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The noble Baroness strikes at the heart of this. The use of nitrous oxide is currently illegal under legislation passed by the previous Government. There have been convictions, but there needs to be both education and support to young people—particularly about the dangers, because nitrous oxide can lead to death at first use. It is also important that its addictive nature is put into education, lesson plans and other supportive material for parents, as well as for young people. It is something that we will certainly keep under review to meet the objectives that the noble Baroness has mentioned.