Today’s news / Government to equate laughing gas DUI with drug driving
For several years, laughing gas cartridges have been misused as a drug. The minister will soon present a proposal to equate driving while under the influence of laughing gas with drug driving. (Archive photo). Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Government to equate laughing gas DUI with drug driving

The Danish government intends to propose regulations equating driving under the influence of laughing gas with drug-impaired driving, as stated by Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen. The proposal has been evolving over several years, following an announcement by the former S-government in 2022 about implementing a zero-tolerance policy for laughing gas. A working group within the Transport Ministry is currently developing recommendations for the government. The substance has been misused as an intoxicant for years. Doctor and Clinical Lecturer Charlotte Uggerhøj Andersen is conducting research on measuring nitrous oxide intake. The recent statement from the transport minister follows a traffic accident near Aarhus, in which three people died and a 35-year-old man involved may have been under the influence of laughing gas.