What the hell?

Newstalk has this story about Anderton announcing the prohibition of Nitrous Oxide. This is about one of the most ridiculous things I have heard in a long time. Now I would certainly support restrictions on sale and promotion, but banning it? What the hell is he doing? I understand that One News ran a story on their late news (didn't see it myself) stating that this has resulted from a Crown Law decision. I am unsure about how this actually works as the way I read it nitrous isn't scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The news apparently reported that this decision is effective immediately, which I also don't get. So if I wandered down to my local shop selling nitrous canisters and bought a box, would myself and the shop be breaking the law? Even though I can't even find a Ministerial Statement about it, and I'm sure no one would have told a) store owners or b) any law enforcement types. Now I am not a regular nitrous user, nor would I ever be, but I'll be damned if you could convince me that being a regular nitrous user should make me a criminal. If someone has such a substance abuse problem that they are damaging themselves on nitrous (and I challenge anyone to find me a group of people in that category), what the hell kind of conviction would you give them and how the hell would that help them? There's more people damaging themselves on spraypaint than on nitrous, is he going to ban that? It's a hell of a lot worse for you. I could tolerate Mr Anderton's posturing on drugs when he was refusing to acknowledge sensible arguments for changing cannabis laws, but banning a drug outright? When he won't go near banning alcohol - by far the most harmful drug in our society - even if there was a Ministerial post in it for him? This smacks of hypocrisy. Mr Anderton is being a reactionary pure and simple. If young people weren't having fun on nitrous, he wouldn't have even noticed. I will get to the bottom of this tomorrow. In the meantime, if you see this guy: Ask him what the hell he's up to!!