Nitrous oxide becomes a Class C drug
Nitrous oxide used to be controlled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 but it was reclassified as a Class C drug in 2023, making possession illegal.

There will be a general debate on knife crime on 16 October 2023 at 14:30. The debate will be led by Wendy Morton MP.
CDP 2023 0192 General Debate Knife Crime (369 KB , PDF)
There are a range of criminal offences covering the possession, sale and supply of knives and other offensive weapons. A detailed breakdown of the criminal law on knife crime is set out in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) legal guidance Offensive Weapons, Knives, Bladed and Pointed Articles.
The Commons Library briefing paper Knife crime statistics analyses police recorded crime data, sentencing statistics and NHS hospital data.
In some cases, a conviction for a knife crime offence can result in a mandatory minimum custodial sentence, which requires the court to sentence the offender to at least six months in prison unless there are exceptional circumstances. These include where an offender is being sentenced for a repeat knife crime offence, or for an offence involving the use of a bladed article or offensive weapon to threaten another person in public or on school premises.
The courts can also use knife crime prevention orders and serious violence reduction orders to deal with knife crime:
Both types of orders have been introduced on a pilot basis. Evaluations of the pilots will be carried out before the Government decides whether to roll the provisions out across England and Wales.
Following a public consultation, in August 2023 the Government announced that it intends to legislate to introduce a range of new knife crime measures, including a ban on machetes and certain other large knives, a new police power to seize and destroy bladed articles, increased maximum penalties for offences relating to sale and supply, and a new offence of possession of a bladed article with the intention to endanger life or cause fear of violence.
Recent years have seen a range of Government policies aimed at tackling knife crime. These have included:
CDP 2023 0192 General Debate Knife Crime (369 KB , PDF)
Nitrous oxide used to be controlled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 but it was reclassified as a Class C drug in 2023, making possession illegal.
The Criminal Justice Bill is scheduled to have its second reading on 28 November 2023. This briefing provides background to the Bill, an overview of its main provisions, and analysis of its proposals.
There will be a debate on reducing serious violence and violence against women and girls, and raising confidence in policing and the criminal justice system on 15 November 2023.