Government cannot afford to delay nitrous oxide regulation, says Ward

Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward has said that the government cannot afford to wait any longer on regulating nitrous oxide.

The Dublin Mid-West TD raised the issue in the Dáil with Tánaisate Simon Harris, who concurred that nitrous oxide usage is a shared concern between government and opposition.

Despite the Tánaiste expressing concern, the government partys voted to delay the legislation by a further 9 months.

However, Ward said that no more delays can be afforded.

“I have been raising this since 2020 and introduced my own legislation to regulate its sale to legitimate uses only; this is similar to what was introduced in Holland,” Ward explained.

Ward said “it was disappointing when the government voted to delay the legislation by 9 months, especially given the fact that they have not taken their own steps to tackle this issue.”

RCSI research on the issue found there were 14 cases in Beaumont Hospital, between 2021 and 2024, of spinal cord damage following nitrous oxide misuse.

The Oireachtas Committee on Finance revealed that €3 million will be spent on the storage and disposal of nitrous oxide canisters seized by customs this year, with the same figure standing at €2 million for last year.

The Irish Medical Journal reported a fourfold increase in hospitalisations from nitrous oxide misuse when comparing Q4 2023 and Q1 2020. while further statistics from Dublin City Council revealed they were on the path to a 490% increase in number of canisters collected for this year.

Finally, the HSE reported to Ward that there was a 130% increase in people presenting for treatment for Nitrous Oxide misuse on the National Drugs Treatment Reporting System since 2022.

Ward said these are all instances that have been allowed to happen during the delay to regulate the sale of nitrous oxide.

“I will be advancing this legislation as a matter of urgency in the coming weeks, I look forward to support from all political parties,” Ward said.