Circular 006/2023: Control of nitrous oxide under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
A change to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to control nitrous oxide as a Class C drug and make provision for lawful access to the substance for legitimate purposes.
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Details
This circular draws attention to the contents of the below Statutory Instruments, which will come into force on at 00.01 on 8 November 2023:
- The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/1091)
- The Misuse of Drugs (England and Wales and Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1099).
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2023 classifies nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under paragraph 1(a) of Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (鈥渢he 1971 Act鈥�). The Misuse of Drugs (England and Wales and Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (鈥渢he 2001 Regulations鈥�) to place nitrous oxide, and preparations or products containing nitrous oxide (hereafter referred to as 鈥渘itrous oxide鈥�), in Schedule 5 to the 2001 Regulations and make provision for continued lawful access to the substance for legitimate purposes, including medical use.
The SIs are available at www.legislation.gov.uk, as follows:
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S.I. 2023/1091
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S.I. 2023/1099
These SIs are also published by the Stationery Office. Telephone orders and general enquiries: 0330 202 5070.