Lachgas ban for young people: Minister of Health raises the alarm!

Lachgas ban for young people: Minister of Health raises the alarm!

Niedersachsen, Deutschland - Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU) has submitted a draft law to regulate the sale of laughing gas as a party drug. The aim of the draft is to protect children and adolescents by banning the acquisition and possession of laughing gas for these groups. These are the central points that op-online.de reported.

Lachgas, also known as a stabic monoxide (N2O), is particularly popular with young people. However, use as a party drug carries considerable health risks. Intensive forms of consumption can lead to unconsciousness, frostbite and injuries to the lung tissue. Experts like chief physician Volker Limmroth warn of the neurotoxic effects of the gas, which can lead to permanent nerve damage and even psychoses, especially in young people. The German Society for Neurology has also warned of these dangers and recommends a responsible handling of the material.

regulatory measures in detail

Warken strives for a general ban on sales for laughing gas via mail order and automatic self -service machines. Exceptions are only intended for cartridges with a filling quantity of up to eight grams that are used for the production of whipped cream. Despite the health concerns, Lachgas is currently legally available in Germany, often in the form of cream capsules in supermarkets and kiosks, such as

The design must be coordinated internally and ultimately decided in the cabinet and by the Bundestag. The new regulations should then come into force three months after the announcement to ensure adequate preparation in the trade conditions and for age tests.

An earlier draft for the ban on laughing gas, which was developed under the former health minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), did not find its way into legislation. As a result, some cities and federal states have already introduced their own regulations regarding laughing gas. Lauterbach himself had also announced that laughing gas was added to the list of psychoactive substances to regulate the sale. However, a complete ban on laughing gas is excluded, since it is also used medically and industrially, which Tagesschau.de

The discussions about a ban on sales of laughing gas have gained intensity in the recent past, especially after a machine in Lower Saxony sold laughing gas bottles and thus triggered protests. These incidents have fired the demands for stricter regulations.

Federal Minister of Health Warken made it clear that the health of children and adolescents is a top priority. In addition to laughing gas, chemicals such as gamma butyrolactone and 1,4-buzzandiol, which are known as the knockout drop, are also said to fall under a "ban on dealing" for new psychoactive substances, which indicates the urgency of the topic.