Things are changing — here is what you need to know
background
Last year in Australia we managed to convince our Therapeutic Goods Administration not to ban poppers. That’s right—they were going to put our little bottles of joy in the same category as crystal meth and GHB!
Eye specialists have reported an increasing number of cases of serious and permanent vision loss associated with use of some poppers in the UK and Europe, with a handful of cases occurring in Australia as well.
Facing the prospect of a complete ban, we put our heads together, took a deep breath, and made a case for banning only the dangerous poppers. We undertook a review of the literature that identified one chemical that is clearly associated with vision loss — known as isopropyl nitrite.
We made the case that poppers have an important benefit — they enable safe and comfortable receptive anal sex. We asked for poppers to be made available in chemists, following a short discussion with a pharmacist to make sure you don’t have any heart or eye conditions, and that you’re not going to use them at the same time as erectile medications (like Viagra, Cialis, etc).
We got what we asked for. The new arrangements came into effect on Saturday, 1 Feb 2020. Here’s what you need to know.
not in aussie?
A lot of the health information on this page is relevant to you, too! But the legal advice about importation and possession will be different for you.
Contents
what are the dangerous kind of poppers?
how can I stay safe during heavy play?
how can I obtain poppers legally?
what about laws on possession and supply?
questions and feedback
Health information
This resource assumes you already know the basics about poppers!
avoid isopropyl poppers
Alkyl nitrites are the family of chemicals that give poppers their kick. Apart from old-school amyl nitrite, they include isobutyl, cyclohexyl, pentyl, etc.
There is ONE chemical associated with serious and permanent vision loss.
Avoid isoPROPYL nitrite poppers.
Almost all of the poppers sold in Australia are made in Canada and contain a different chemical, isoBUTYL nitrite, which is not associated with vision loss.
The dangerous one was first introduced after the EU banned the other one on the basis of some very sketchy evidence in 2007. Soon afterwards, cases of vision loss began sky-rocketing among poppers users in the UK and Europe.
One study of people with poppers-related vision loss found that almost all had used poppers and erectile medication (e.g. Viagra) at the same time.
contra-indications
Avoid using poppers if —
you have eye problems like glaucoma
you have any heart problems (or talk to your doctor first)
you are also using erectile medications like Viagra
dangerous ‘aerosol poppers’
During our advocacy, we discovered there are aerosol cans being sold with ‘Jungle Juice’ branding. These are not poppers. They contain ethyl chloride.
Using these products is exactly the same as huffing the propellant from spray-paints, and it carries the same risk of brain damage and instant death.
Protecting others
Concerns were raised during the TGA process about potential risks to others.
Store your poppers out of reach of children.
If your friends are poppers-curious, make sure you tell them never to drink poppers. (This has mainly occurred at dance festivals.)
Share this resource with your friends on social media.
Heavy play and hepatitis C
a quick psa for adventurous players
Poppers are sometimes used to facilitate adventurous sex. We all know that PrEP is over 99% effective and U=U is 100% effective, so HIV transmission (and playing with mixed status groups) is no longer the issue it once was.
Sexual transmission of hepatitis C is fairly uncommon, but it can occur during the kinds of play where poppers are often used. That includes ‘long play’ group sex and heavier forms of anal play involving toys or fists (and the rest).
With HIV a receptive partner might pass it on to an insertive partner, who might pass it on to a receptive partner, and so on.
But hep C can be transmitted bottom-to-bottom in group scenes, when a tiny trace of blood is carried on a toy — or a fist or a co*ck — from one hole to another.
The message here is really simple. Wash your toys and your tops.
If this sounds like your sex life, get tested for hepatitis C when you get your STI checkup. Treatment is easy and most people will be cured.
Disclaimer
The information provided here is general in nature and readers should seek personalised advice about your health requirements and legal obligations.
Obtaining poppers legally in Australia
amyl nitrite in pharmacies
From February 1, 2020 it is legal to purchase amyl nitrite poppers in pharmacies (after having a brief conversation with the pharmacist).
However, no manufacturers have undertaken the required safety testing for their products, so there are no poppers available to buy in pharmacies.
Community groups have reached out to poppers manufacturers to encourage them to develop amyl nitrite products and submit them for testing.
Once poppers are available in pharmacies, the brief conversation is just to check you don’t have heart or eye conditions and that you won’t use it with Viagra (or similar medications).
You don’t have to go into detail about why you need it. Yes, it’s a little awkward, but it’ll be much worse for the pharmacist.
what to do!?
Apart from amyl and isopropyl, other active ingredients in poppers have been left on Schedule 4 for prescription-only medicines.
That means they are only legal to buy, import, possess and use if you have a prescription from a GP.
Just like we do with generic PrEP, you can use the Personal Import Scheme to buy poppers from overseas. Here’s what you need to do:
Find a sex-positive GP and request a prescription for alkyl nitrites to help with receptive anal intercourse. A script can be valid for up to 12 months.
Confirm you don’t have any heart or eye condition, and that you will never ever take poppers and erectile medication at the same time.
Your doctor can write an off-label prescription for alkyl nitrites.
Ask your doctor for a letter confirming you have a prescription for alkyl nitrites — see the legal information below for the reasons why.
Scan the prescription. Contact the company you are going to buy poppers from. Confirm they are happy to include a print-out of the scanned receipt with your parcel.
Buy the poppers online. SEE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE.
You can import up to three months of medication at a time.
It is not legal to personally import medication and then supply it to another person (or resell it).
very important note
When you buy poppers from overseas, make damn sure you don’t buy isopropyl nitrite.
It causes vision loss.
Importing a schedule 10 dangerous substance is asking for a very bad time with Customs and state/territory drug laws.
Remember, the name ‘alkyl nitrites’ is a generic term. It can include isopropyl. You can be prosecuted even if you buy this substance by mistake.
It is safer to buy poppers that list a specific chemical name.
Legal information is for Australian residents only 🦘
Legal status of possession and supply of poppers in Australia
what will happen to over-the-counter sales?
Some have suggested the cops will immediately begin raids on adult shops and sex venues that sell poppers after 1 February 2020.
However, these sales have always been illegal — apart from amyl and isopropyl, the legal status of alkyl nitrites has not changed.
Supply of a Schedule 4 substance without a prescription is illegal under state and territory laws. This does not change even if the substance is sold as ‘aroma’ or ‘leather cleaner.’
These laws have almost never been enforced against poppers. We hope the status quo will continue while community organisations work to persuade poppers manufacturers to put their products through safety testing, enabling them to be sold in pharmacies in Australia.
However, that’s not the main issue.
you could be personally liable
The bigger problem here is that your own purchase, possession, use, and supply of poppers will also be illegal unless you have a prescription.
If you bring poppers to a dance party or festival and they are found when you are strip-searched, you could be charged unless you can prove you have a prescription for them.
This is why we recommend asking your doctor for a letter saying they are prescribed for a medical condition.
Offering someone a sniff of your bottle could be deemed supply.
The laws that apply to purchase, possession and supply vary from state to state (and territory) in Australia. For example, in New South Wales:
Obtaining or attempting to obtain a prescription-only medication without a prescription is punishable by a $2200 fine or 6 months prison.
Supplying a prescription-only medication to another person is punishable by a $1650 fine or 6 months prison.
This situation stinks worse than stale poppers. The best case scenario is that police continue their tacit policy of overlooking poppers altogether, given the very low risk of harm to users.
Until amyl nitrite products become available in pharmacies, we strongly recommend finding a sex-positive GP and requesting a prescription.
