Short answer: they probably shouldn’t be.
Long answer:
Section 58 of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Victoria) prohibits the sale or supply of a volatile substance (which nitrous oxide is defined as elsewhere in the act) if the seller knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the substance will be inhaled for its psychoactive effects. Retailers must ensure responsible storage and display to prevent misuse. Breaches of this provision can result in fines or imprisonment.
So it’s legal to sell if it isn’t sold on the basis that the user will inhale it for its psychoactive effects. It attracts up to two years imprisonment if it is sold with the knowledge that the user will inhale it for its psychoactive effects.
Leave a Reply