Authorities ban laughing gas for recreational use

Laughing gas has officially been banned for recreational use, with offenders liable to criminal proceedings.

According to a legal notice published on Wednesday, laughing gas will only be allowed for industrial, medicinal, pharmaceutical or catering use.

It cannot be used for any other use, including for direct inhalation or through a balloon or other device.

Anyone caught using laughing gas recreationally will face criminal proceedings.

Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, became a popular drug among Maltese and Gozitan youths in recent years. When inhaled, it can induce short-lived euphoric effects and laughter. It is typically sold in cartridges and consumed by releasing the gas into balloons before inhalation.

Earlier this month, the mayor of Għajnsielem, Kevin Cauchi, said the Gozitan town was struggling with rampant use of the substance.

Cauchi had told Times of Malta that canisters were increasingly being found discarded in bins or scattered throughout the locality.

Last year, the addiction foundation OASI also called for regulation and restrictions on the sale of the drug after noticing an increase in its use among young people.

It warned of the serious health risks that come with using laughing gas, which range from dizziness and visual impairment, neurotoxicity, to psychiatric symptoms like altered mental states and hallucinations.