On July 1, it became a criminal offense to possess and sell nitrous oxide as an intoxicant in Denmark. Expensive fines now await anyone who uses the intoxicant in public places.
– We have seen an increased abuse of nitrous oxide, says Claus Bardeleben, police inspector at Copenhagen’s Vestegns Politi.
In Sweden, anyone can easily buy nitrous oxide cartridges in a regular shop for a few hundred Swedish kroner. It may be for the purpose of making cream via siphon, but it is also possible to buy nitrous oxide balloons in bars and online via social media the sale of nitrous oxide flows – just to get drunk.
In neighboring Denmark, the parliament has now decided that it is a criminal offense to sell the product as an intoxicant and that it is forbidden to possess cartridges in public places. And a few days ago, the Danish police made a major crackdown on over 40 recreational gas tubes.
– In the beginning it was the small cartridges that you saw lying in nature and that was of course a problem, but now in recent years people have started to buy large bottles, says Claus Bardeleben and continues:
– You take it in public places, in the car and then drive under the influence of nitrous oxide.
Although the law has just come into force, the Danish police have already made large seizures of nitrous oxide. And according to Bardeleben’s assessment, it is only the beginning.
– We will certainly see many more seizures of nitrous oxide, especially among young people, he says.