The sale and use of illegal drugs have long disrupted social order in areas around Brussels North station. However, police are now recording a sharp rise in products that are freely available in Belgian supermarkets.
As in many other Brussels neighbourhoods, residents and traders in the Brabant and Northern Quarters of the city have denounced the increasing feeling of insecurity and rising drug use. The Brussels North police zone has recently started stepping up its fight against the illegal sale of drugs and narcotics with a temporary Task Force, in collaboration with and in support of the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office.
The aim was to fight violent thefts and the sale of narcotics in the North Quarter, and the actions taken have led to the seizure of hundreds of grams of cannabis, amphetamine and ecstasy pills, among others. However, the neighbourhoods are now also experiencing a sharp rise in the use of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, the Brussels-North police zone confirmed.
Empty capsules and bottles of the cheap intoxicant are scattered on the streets here. While the police cannot frame the rise in people using the substance, as police reports aren't drawn up for this, it is a trend clearly noticed on the ground.
"Not only us, but also city guards, traders and local residents report seeing an increase in the use of laughing gas," said spokesperson Audrey Dereymaeker. She added that it is a problem that occurs in many other municipalities as well.
Cheap and easy
The product is an easy and low-risk drug as it is freely available in Belgian supermarkets, often in the form of whipped cream cartridges. The larger gas bottles can only be used with a balloon to inhale the N2O gas.
Nitrous oxide relaxes the muscles, makes people woozy and a bit tipsy, and takes away feelings of pain. However, laughing gas also causes other forms of nuisance such as behavioural problems, especially when used in combination with other drugs or alcohol, which is often the case. "It can sometimes go wrong and lead to fights," said Dereymaeker.
The nitrous oxide canisters are often found next to identical black balloons in the areas surrounding the station, suggesting that the nitrous oxide comes from one large trafficker operating in the district.
"We are aware of some major traffickers in the area," the police indicate. There are currently no court cases pending against the big sellers, but together with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Brussels municipalities, the police are examining measures to curb the sale of N2O in a similar way to other intoxicants.
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The municipalities of Auderghem and Evere, among others, have already experimented in the past with an awareness and prevention campaign concerning the sale of laughing gas in Brussels supermarkets.
For now, police are mainly focusing on finding administrative solutions, such as for cleanliness in the neighbourhood, respecting the highway code and drink-driving, Dereymaeker said.
