UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she wants to remove any legal ban on poppers – a drug gay and bi men use during sex. The exact legal status of poppers is unclear after a 2018 court case indicated they may be illegal under the Psychoactive Substances Act.
Meanwhile their uncertain legal status means retailers sell them as ‘room aromas’, ‘deodorisers’ or ‘leather cleaners’. However they are not used that way.
Instead they are sniffed from small glass bottles to give an instant but short high. The chemicals, alkyl nitrites, work as a muscle relaxant, making them particularly popular for people having anal sex.
The UK Government’s own Frank drug advise website notes they are available ‘in sex shops, clubs, market stalls and online’. It