Misuse of nitrous oxide ‘laughing gas’ soars by 175% in a year

Medical episodes involving the misuse of nitrous oxide have soared by 175 per cent in just a year, official figures have revealed.

Referrals from doctors to the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS), which offers clinicians expert advice on toxicology, about patients needing medical assistance from laughing gas increased the most out of all drugs between 2022 and 2023.

Possession of nitrous oxide, also known as “hippy crack”, became a criminal offence in the UK in November, after evidence of its growing recreational use among young people and links to anti-social behaviour.

The new figures mostly relate to activity before the crackdown on possession of the drug came into force.

Nitrous oxide is the second most misused illicit drug in the UK and can cause vitamin deficiency, spinal cord damage and bone marrow failure after repeated use. Short-term use can cause tingling in the feet and hands and dizziness. Its supply outside clinical settings has been illegal since 2016.

The UK Health Security Agency, which commissioned the NPIS annual report revealing the figures, said there had been a “marked increase” in activity related to nitrous oxide and ketamine.

Official data from the NPIS shows that online activity from doctors and other healthcare staff to its Toxbase expert advice service about laughing gas rose by 175 per cent between the year 2022 to 2023, with 4,454 referrals last year.

There was a similar rise in enquiries by phone and the Toxbase app by doctors about the drug.

Nearly two thirds of the patients who suffered toxic effects of nitrous oxide were male, and all patients were aged between 15 and 36 years, with an average age of 21.8.

The most referrals in 2023 related to diazepam, with the online Toxbase service accessed 24,560 times, although many of those incidents involved the drug being prescribed for medical use, and that figure fell by 12.3 per cent over the year.

Activity related to ketamine rose by 24.9 per cent, to 5,312 online incidents.

The data is consistent with other reports showing an increase in usage both of nitrous oxide and ketamine, the UKHSA said.

Online referrals related to overdoses and other misuse of cocaine were the second highest, with 13,873 episodes – an increase of 2 per cent in a year.

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Cannabis was the third-highest drug for which doctors sought toxicology advice for patients, with 5,836 incidents, although this figure fell slightly by 5.2 per cent compared to 2022.

The Toxbase service includes a 24-hour telephone advice line that can be accessed by doctors and healthcare staff.

Professor Raquel Duarte-Davidson, Radiation, Chemicals and Environmental Hazards Directorate, UKHSA, said: “The NPIS annual report serves as a comprehensive statement of NPIS’s activities, emphasising its pivotal role in managing poisoning cases, offering expert advice, and contributing to public health efforts.

“The rise in nitrous oxide and ketamine-related activities underscores the need for targeted interventions to protect public health and prevent further harm.”