Kit Malthouse, a former education secretary, and before that policing minister for three years, expressed concern that prohibiting laughing gas could backfire…

“On nitrous oxide though, I wonder if I could just urge [Suella Braverman, the home secretary] to examine carefully the roots of supply of this particular toxin. One of the issues that we need to avoid is that this substance moves from the legitimate market into the illegitimate market, becomes another hook for drug dealers to draw young people into their awful trade. How can she restrict supply to those who genuinely need it without it necessarily becoming an illicit substance that drug dealers use for their business?”