“BROAD RANGE OF LEGITIMATE USES”: MHA
In response to CNA’s queries, Singapore authorities said nitrous oxide has not been outlawed here since it has various legitimate uses across various industries.
Nitrous oxide is not regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Act, which was amended in March to better tackle psychoactive substances, because it “falls under the category of substances which have a broad range of legitimate uses”, said the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It is currently listed as a permitted food additive in the Eighth Schedule of the Food Regulations, the ministry added.
A spokesperson from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said it regulates the gas only when it is used in a specific therapeutic product for treating a medical condition.
She added: “For such uses, the product is required to be registered with HSA to ensure that it meets the quality, safety, and efficacy standards before the product can be supplied for use by registered medical practitioners.”
OVERSEAS MOVES
The BBC reported in March that as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour, the UK government will criminalise the possession of laughing gas – the second most prevalent drug among young adults there aged 16 to 24 years, after cannabis. It is already illegal to produce, supply or import nitrous oxide for human consumption.
Last year, the European Union’s drugs agency warned that recreational use of the gas has been increasing among young people in Europe due to its wide availability, low price and perception that it is safe.
Closer to Singapore, Taiwan listed nitrous oxide as a controlled substance – the first non-toxic chemical under its Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act – in late 2020.
The Taipei Times reported that this came after the unregulated use of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes had risen in the past few months. The number of such cases in Taoyuan city jumped from 134 in 2019 to 455 in the first seven months of 2020.
Australia bans the supply of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes, but abusers like Kevin can easily turn to “smoke shops” or online delivery services to get their hands on canisters or even tanks of laughing gas.
Over the past decade, media reports have flagged locals and tourists in nearby countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Laos inhaling nitrous oxide using party balloons.
FEW CASES OF ADDICTION IN SINGAPORE
When CNA approached several doctors, addiction specialists and public and private hospitals in Singapore, most said they do not see many cases of nitrous oxide addiction, though they have treated a few patients who usually use it in tandem with other drugs.
They also cautioned that criminalising it could drive the trade underground, possibly leading to more abusing it for recreational purposes.