Police want law banning sale of laughing gas on the streets

Police are asking for legislation to prohibit the sale of nitrous oxide on the streets as they tackle the relatively new phenomenon taking Paceville by storm. 

A spokesperson for the police force said a person involved in the sale of laughing gas in Paceville was stopped before a MaltaToday investigation revealed the extent of audacious drug trafficking in the entertainment mecca. 

Nitrous oxide, known popularly as laughing gas, is not illegal but an undercover MaltaToday journalist was offered all sorts of drugs when enquiring about the gas one evening in Paceville. 

Action against a person involved in the sale of laughing gas in Paceville was taken “way before the article was issued by MaltaToday”, a police spokesperson said. 

Police acted against a sole vendor who was known to loiter around nightclubs with a bicycle and supermarket trolley being used as a small kiosk, where he openly sold laughing gas. 

"The sole street vendor was ordered more than once, prior to the article, to move out of Paceville on grounds of public order - as there are no laws that regulate nitrous oxide,” the spokesperson said. The vendor did not obey police instructions and according to the spokesperson, during the week before the MaltaToday report was published, the police took the necessary action. 

“The police had already seized his belongings, particularly his bicycle that was being used as a 'small kiosk', and charges were issued,” the spokesperson said. 

The police have now asked for a prohibition of the sale of nitrous oxide on the streets. 

“The police force has been pro-active in this situation and has requested meetings with local authorities, to formulate an ad hoc legal framework to ban nitrous oxide from being sold on the streets since there are no laws that regulate this gas,” the spokesperson said. 

He added that the Maltese police is in contact with foreign counterparts to seek more information on how they are tackling this situation in their respective countries. 

Responding to questions about the apparent lack of police presence in Paceville, the spokesperson said this has increased “during the past months”. 

Patrols are conducted for crime prevention and engagement with the community, with officers from the districts, RIU, mounted section, and K9 section deployed.  

Meanwhile, responding to parliamentary questions on the matter by Opposition MPs Joe Giglio and Albert Buttigieg last week, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said police action in Paceville has resulted in the arrest and charging of four people who were trafficking drugs, while 10 others were found to be in possession of narcotics with intent to supply.  

The police have now asked for a prohibition of the sale of nitrous oxide on the streets.

Low quality drugs warning 

Karen Mamo, a drug-policy researcher specialising in harm-reduction, said “drugs have been very accessible for a long time,” citing drug dealers’ use of technology and social media in recent years. 

However, Mamo noted that drug traffickers approaching people in Paceville is a new phenomenon, warning that narcotics sold in this way on the streets tend to be of very low quality, and thus more dangerous to users. 

Despite its nuance, she said that such tactics during Paceville’s peak season are predictable, as at the end of the day, drug traffickers are a form of business, and as such, they change strategies during peak season. 

Karen Mamo, a drug-policy researcher specialising in harm-reduction

Laughing gas’s popularity fades in and out 

Meanwhile, Mamo also commented on the use of nitrous oxide, explaining that the substance has been used for more that 200 years, although its popularity fades in and out throughout the years. She stated that, as is the case with other substances, one must be careful if they decide to make use of it. 

Therefore, Mamo explains that continuous use of the drug increases its risks, while saying that precautions should always be taken if one chooses to use the drug. She warned against consuming nitrous oxide directly from canisters, warning against serious risks to one’s skin, as well as warning against mixing drugs such as nitrous oxide with alcohol.