Reports say FDA is targeting poppers
On March 14, in a story picked up by several other news outlets, business magazine Fast Company broke the news that agents of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had that day conducted a search and seizure action on the operations of Double Scorpio, a commercial brand of isobutyl nitrite, the inhalant popularly known as … Read More
On March 14, in a story picked up by several other news outlets, business magazine Fast Company broke the news that agents of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had that day conducted a search and seizure action on the operations of Double Scorpio, a commercial brand of isobutyl nitrite, the inhalant popularly known as “poppers.”
“Poppers have always operated in a legal gray zone,” wrote reporter Henry Chandonnet in his story, which got widely picked up by other news outlets, including the New York Post and NBCNews.com. “Now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on their production.”
Double Scorpio's website states that the company has "stopped all operations following a search and seizure at our office by the FDA."
"We don’t have a lot of information to share but we believe that the FDA has performed similar actions towards other companies recently," Double Scorpio's homepage states.
Much coverage of the FDA action centered Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., pushing the story that he is behind the move. “In his 2021 book, Kennedy spread the lie that poppers caused AIDS,” wrote Chandonnet.
Out.com ran a follow-up article, headlined, “Poppers Panic: Gays react to crackdown with alarm and humor,” taking the temperature in the room of public opinion by sampling responses to the news item the outlet received on its Instagram page. It found “a rainbow of swift reactions — from jokes to alarmed calls for political action.”
But, as KFF Health News noted, “It is unclear whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. knew about the raid. Also, the FDA is documenting injuries caused by [the substance] sold commercially, as inhaling it can cause dangerously low blood pressure.”
An advisory on the FDA website dated 7/15/2021 warns, “ingesting or inhaling nitrite 'Poppers' can cause severe injury or death.”
Gay City News spoke with two experts on the subject.
“The FDA has certainly taken an interest in poppers before,” said Adam Zmith, author of the book, “Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures.” “By implementing a requirement for a prescription to buy amyl nitrite from the pharmacy (in 1969), whereas it was possible to buy it easily beforehand. Of course, the prescription didn't matter in the end anyway because by then the companies had started making it as 'poppers' ('sniffs', etc) and selling it outside the pharmacy system.” Zmith added that he was unaware of any “raids” on poppers marketers in the US.
Researchers have found concerning numbers of poppers-related incidences requiring medical attention.
“Poisonings involving poppers have been increasing in the US, so I understand why some people are concerned,” said Dr. Joseph K. Palamar, a professor of public health at NYU who specializes in the effects of recreational drug use.
Reports have shown that people unfamiliar with the packaging of poppers in little bottles and their use by inhalation only have mistaken the bottles for energy shots and ingested their contents. The studies and reports on this serious situation do not specify the sexual orientation of those who’ve made this mistake, but anecdotal evidence shows they are hardly likely to be gay men.
“People who are not known to be traditional users of poppers need to know that you should not drink them!” Dr. Palamar said.
When reached for comment on March 19, an FDA spokesperson simply said, "As a matter of policy, the FDA does not comment on possible criminal investigations."
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