Co Down councillor says 'lives could be at risk' as laughing gas cannisters found on rural roads
These cannisters also known as nos or laughing gas can cause serious health issues if inhaled.
Balloons are the items used to administer the nitrous oxide, a potentially lethal gas.
DUP Councillor, Alan Lewis said there has been an ongoing issue with canisters being discarded in the hedges of the Ballynahinch area.
He said: "This stuff has been found lying along the side of the road, be it one or two tins at a time, but more frequently, it's found in larger quantities of 6 or 10 tins."People in the Spa are really concerned that this stuff is hazardous, it is dangerous."The government made nitrous oxide a Class C drug several years ago under a clampdown on its misuse, back then it was the third most commonly misused drug.Meaning that possessing it and using it for the wrong purposes is now a criminal offence under a law that dates back to 1971.
Mr Lewis believes the laws surrounding the gas need to be updated: "There is reason to take a look at making sure that if you're caught with this, if you're caught supplying it for the purpose of misuse, that you should face a tough sentence.
"There should be repercussions because you're putting people's lives at risk."
Often used by medics as an anesthetic or pain reliever, recreational use of the gas can have lasting implications.
Medical Director of NI Ambulance Service, Nigel Ruddell says: "Chronic use can cause even more serious problems, in particular, long term nerve damage because of its effect on some of the vitamins in the body.
"Pure nitrous oxide is very dangerous because it contains no oxygen at all that you get the body can rely on.
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