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28 April 2023
Issue: 8022 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal
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NLJ this week: Risks of too heavy a response to laughing gas

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Discarded nitrous oxide (laughing gas) canisters are a familiar sight in towns and cities across the UK, but should the law on their use be changed? 

Dr Michael Harrison and Dr Olubunmi Onafuwa, both of the University of East London, debate the issues in this week’s NLJ.

While commonly used in medical scenarios, excessive recreational use or use with certain other drugs can be dangerous or even fatal. The UK government is now considering making possession a criminal offence. A step too far?

Harrison and Onafuwa look at the risks of such an approach, and wonder whether an alternative approach might be more effective in curbing recreational use of the drug. 

Read more on the laughing gas issue here.

Issue: 8022 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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