Laughing gas ban upheld in Basel-City

The Federal Court backed Basel-City’s ban on nitrous oxide a.k.a. “laughing gas” - in public establishments.

Laughing gas, as a medical supply is subject to the Therapeutic Products Act and requires a license. When used for culinary purposes, such as whipping cream, it is regulated by the Chemicals and Foodstuffs Act. 

But laughing gas is being used as a party drug as it gives a short-lived feeling of euphoria when inhaled. Any distribution for these purposes is considered inappropriate and therefore against the law, but a bar in Basel-City had appealed against the ban on distribution. That appeal was rejected by the Federal Supreme Court. 

Basel-City welcomed the decision from the Federal Council to back the ban. 

 


 

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play