Police ready to enforce laughing gas ban in Holland

The Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) and police “are ready to enforce the laughing gas ban,” OM reported Saturday. Since January 1st of this year, it has been illegal to transport, sell, manufacture or possess laughing gas for recreational purposes in the Netherlands. However, this ban has not yet been enforced.

Last November, police said they were in favor of the ban but said some issues needed to be resolved before it could be enforced. Among other things, a solution had to be found for transporting and destroying the seized laughing gas.

With OM and the police ready, prosecutors will decide “whether or not criminal charges will be filed” “based on the facts and circumstances of the official report,” OM said in a statement. The standards of the Opium Act sentencing guidelines are used. The fines vary as they range from community service and fines to prison sentences. The more laughing gas found, the higher the fine. According to OM, if there is a risk of re-offending, an unconditional sentence of several months in prison could even be imposed.

However, a permit is still required for the legal use of laughing gas. These include (veterinary) medicine, medical devices, technical industry, catering and food industry.