site.btaInterior Minister Calls for Legislative Changes Qualifying Laughing Gas as Narcotic Substance
Interior Minister Daniel Mitov Tuesday called for legislative changes classifying laughing gas as a narcotic substance so that the police can do their job. He was speaking during a hearing at the Ad Hoc Committee for Identifying Existing Issues with the Distribution of Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas), Narcotic Substances, Precursors, or Their Analogues in the Republic of Bulgaria, and for the Prevention, Prophylaxis and Treatment of the Use of Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas), Narcotic Substances, Precursors, or Their Analogues.
In 2024, there was an increase of 20% in the number of specialised operations carried out compared to 2023, and increased control will continue, he added. Since the beginning of this year, five specialised police operations have been carried out, with over 4,000 litres of vape liquid, over 400 grammes of shisha tobacco, over 200 different types of laughing gas vials, 482 vapes containing a prohibited narcotic substance, etc. seized in January and February 2025. A few days ago, during a specialised operation in Sofia, a car was found to contain over 2,000 capsules of laughing gas. According to Mitov, one should also think how to prevent the leakage of information before upcoming inspections, as it is a matter of organization, he added.
The Sofia Directorate of Interior is hampered in enforcing effective action against the spread of laughing gas, said its Director, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov. He said the Directorate had identified numerous cases of distribution, storage and use of laughing gas, especially in night establishments. The checks are carried out jointly with representatives of the Ministry of Health and the National Revenue Agency, he specified.
/RY/
Additional
news.modal.image.header
news.modal.image.text
news.modal.download.header
news.modal.download.text
news.modal.header
news.modal.text