No, CS spray is not legal.
It is a prohibited firearm and if you are found in possession of it, it could lead to a minimum prison sentence of six months and a maximum one of ten years and/or a fine.
The immediate effects of CS spray are discomfort to the eyes, burning sensation, coughing and tightness in the chest. These symptoms should disappear within fifteen minutes. To aid recovery the best thing to do is to stand in the fresh air. If the symptoms persist you should consult your doctor.
There may be some irritation of the skin for about six to eight hours due to the chemical component within the CS spray. This will take the form of flaking or blistering of skin. If this occurs then you should consult your doctor.
CS (named after the initials of the inventors Corson and Staughton) combines the compound (o-chlorobenzylidine malononitrile) a white crystalline substance which is dissolved in the inert solvent MiBK (methyl iso-butyl ketone) and held by this substance in suspension. When it is expelled from the canister as a liquid jet, the CS compound which is suspended in the liquid compound (MiBK) separates from the matrix liquid on contact with the air.
Police officers are properly and regularly trained in the use of CS spray and it is used when appropriate by officers when they feel that the offender poses a risk to themselves and/or the police officers and others in the vicinity.
