LAUGHING gas offences have soared despite the drug being banned, Home Office figures show.
They also reveal that seven in ten of those caught go unpunished.
Police in England and Wales recorded at least 5,780 offences of possessing nitrous oxide in the year to March 2026.
It is a rise of 76 per cent on 2025 — the first full year of the ban on the Class C drug, often inhaled from balloons.
Possession of the gas to get high can carry up to two years in jail.
But 70 per cent of resolved cases to the end of March this year ended with an informal community resolution with no criminal record.
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Just 12 per cent ended with the offender being charged.
Despite the figures, the Government claimed reported use of the gas is at its “lowest level since records began”.
Zaheen Ahmed, Head of Therapy at addiction treatment experts The UKAT Group said: “Nitrous oxide addiction is becoming increasingly prevalent.
“Even as a residential rehab provider – which is the vast majority of people’s last resort – we’re seeing a sharp rise in calls for help and admissions relating to the drug.
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“There are still widespread assumptions that nitrous oxide isn’t addictive, doesn’t carry serious health risks, or comes without criminal consequences.
“All three assumptions are wrong.
“Nitrous oxide is no laughing matter, and we’re seeing it ruin lives in the same way other substances do.”