A Brighton MP has said using laughing gas recreationally is 'perfectly fine' as the government seeks to ban the possession of the drug.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, said he accepted there are “marginal cases” where the drug can cause serious harm, but argued criminalisation would be disproportionate.

He also suggested it was “perfectly fine” for people to use the drug recreationally.

Drugs awareness website Talk to Frank says it is “very dangerous” to inhale nitrous oxide directly from the canister, and that heavy use can cause a form of anaemia, nerve damage, and other health concerns.

The government is seeking to make nitrous oxide a Class C controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, with exemptions for “legitimate purposes”, such as medical and commercial use.

MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move, with the bill set to undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords.

However, Mr Russell-Moyle was one of those opposed to the plans, warning that criminalisation would hit the poorest and ethnic minorities.

He also hit out at wider drug control legislation and said measures in the 1971 Act benefit criminal gangs.

Mr Russell-Moyle accused his own party and the government of being “cheerleaders” for criminals by continuing to support the legislation.

Addressing the issue of criminalising the possession of laughing gas in the House of Commons, he said: “I’m also sceptical about the slight moral panic I’m afraid.

“That’s not to dismiss that there are some very marginal cases of harm that are horrible and acute for those that are affected by it, death in its worst circumstance – we had caffeine deaths in this country by the way as well – and heart, lung and neurological problems.

“This is the third most widely taken drug in young people, but the harms caused do not even rank in the top 50 harms caused to young people. So the idea that this is a great drug of great harm is just not true.

“Most people use this drug recreationally, perfectly harmlessly, perfectly acceptably, and my view is, actually, perfectly fine.”

Mr Russell-Moyle said that, while he has not used nitrous oxide himself, he claimed lawyers, senior politicians and celebrities have used “these kinds of drugs… and it causes them no harm whatsoever”.

The government has previously said the reclassification of the drug is part of a “zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour”.

Last summer, Sussex Police issued a warning amid a rise in the use of laughing gas.