Police seized seven nitrous oxide canisters from a British national in Sihanoukville yesterday after the Provincial Hall ordered a crackdown on the illicit substance, officials have said.

Heng Sam Ang, Sihanoukville deputy governor, told the Post that police found the containers after raiding the 40-year-old suspect’s home.

“We took it for examination … the [government’s] anti-drug authority found that [nitrous oxide] can affect people’s health,” Sam Ang said.

In a notice dated August 18, Preah Sihanouk Provincial Hall ordered the seizure of all nitrous oxide containers following the study from the anti-drug authority.

Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas as it is commonly known, is primarily used as an anaesthetic in medicine but has become a popular recreational drug, known for its relaxing effects.

According to Sam Ang, the suspect was selling the laughing gas to tourists to inhale in balloons.

Following the raid, the suspect was ordered to sign a contract with police agreeing that he would no longer store the substance.