Protesters inhale laughing gas right outside Parliament
- Published
Around a hundred people have inhaled nitrous oxide outside Parliament in protest over new drug laws.
The government plans to ban the sale of legal highs, which would include the substance also known as laughing gas or hippie crack.
The Psychoactive Substances Bill could land people selling the drugs a seven-year prison sentence.
But those protesting in the shadow of Big Ben say a blanket ban is not the way forward.
"It's a great day for it," said Stephen Reid when we met him setting up in the sunshine.
The 29-year-old runs the Psychedelic Society and helped organise the protest.
"We accept that drugs have risks, nitrous oxide has risks, but lots of things in society have risks notably extreme sports or alcohol.
"We don't ban those things outright, we let people make their own decision and we think the same should apply to nitrous oxide."
Nine deaths have been linked to nitrous oxide between 2006 and 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics.
There is a risk of unconsciousness when inhaling nitrous oxide because of a lack of oxygen going to the brain.
Glastonbury banned the use of nitrous oxide in its stone circle this year, and just last week the London borough of Lambeth brought in a Public Spaces Protection Order.
"In reality the risks of inhaling this are incredibly small," said Henry Fisher, 27.
He was sitting on the grass waiting for the "mass inhale" to begin but accepted the protest might not have the desired effect.
"I don't think politicians are going to change the law based on this protest but I think it's interesting that there is public support against the Bill."
The Psychoactive Substances Bill is intended to shut down the trade in legal highs, but the protesters we spoke to claimed the law would drive the drugs underground.
As three loud bongs chimed across the murmur of central London traffic, the protesters filled balloons with nitrous oxide.
What followed was a rippling of loud laughter and cheerful noise.
"What's going on?" asked one tourist. It's a question anti-drug campaigners will be asking too after warning the substance is highly dangerous.
"It's about 30 seconds of euphoria, happiness, gives you a bit of a high," explained 27-year-old Ana Akbary who had just taken part.
"I'm not worried about the risks because we educate ourselves and we do our research before we do any drugs."
But for Ana, like many of the protesters, the demonstration wasn't just about nitrous oxide.
"I'd like to see the government relax the laws on drugs in general because all they're doing is pushing it underground."
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