A councillor from Buckinghamshire has said he is 'hopeful' that the criminalisation of nitrous oxide gas will have a meaningful effect despite concern that youngsters might pivot to alternative addictive substances.

Darren Hayday, 49, the Buckinghamshire Council representative for the West Wycombe ward, has been a crucial local player in petitioning for a ban on nitrous oxide, also known as 'laughing gas' and 'hippy crack' which has seen an upsurge of misuse in the area over the last four to five years. 

As of November 8, possession of nitrous oxide with the intent to get high was made illegal, with repeat offenders facing up to two years in jail and dealers peddling the psychoactive substance risking up to 14 years behind bars.

The ban, promised as part of the government's anti-social behaviour action plan, makes nitrous oxide a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, with other consequences for misuse including an unlimited fine and community sentences. 

As a keen litter-picker in the Wycombe area, Mr Hayday said he is more cognisant than most of how widespread the issue is in and around his ward, having discovered up to 100 empty canisters of the case piled up in some recreational areas. 

He has worked closely with Steve Baker MP and ministers from the Home Office to shed light on the harm caused by the substance, which can include long-term health issues and paralysis in some cases, and said he supports the new legislation in its focus on cutting the drug off at a supply, rather than possession level.

"Just last week, before the ban came into effect, it was unregulated so you could go onto eBay and buy it very easily. Even in local corner shops, you'd get unscrupulous shopkeepers selling nitrous oxide under the counter.

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"As it stands, the people who make the most from laughing gas are manufacturers - now that the law has changed, they're going to be worried about being arrested."

He doesn't believe that the problem in High Wycombe is unique to the area but is concerned that it was a steadily mounting issue before this week's legislation, with more and more large nitrous oxide cylinders replacing small silver canisters in littering hauls.

"I was coming out of a council meeting on West Wycombe High Street not too long ago, and I saw someone chuck a cylinder out of a car and drive off.

"It's horrendous on a health level, of course, but on the littering side as well. These larger containers aren't easily recyclable and can be difficult to dispose of anywhere, which too often means they're just left lying around."

Despite the probable imperfection of any solution to the epidemic, Mr Hayday remains cautiously optimistic about the effectiveness of the new laughing gas ban. 

"We won't know how useful it has been until we can look back and measure the difference, but the only other country that has implemented a similar approach to this is the Netherlands and it has been very successful there. 

"This is a very dangerous drug to take, so I'm hopeful that criminalisation will make it much less accessible and that that will have a big effect."