UK research into poppers highlights problematic proposed drug policy

New research into the use of the drug poppers (alkyl nitrites) has highlighted inconsistencies in proposed changes to drug policy in the UK and how exemptions to the law impact on minority groups.

The study, published in the British Journal of Criminology, today (Monday 23 September), is the first of its kind to examine who uses poppers in the UK and why.

Poppers provide a cheap, short lasting headrush when used for non-medical purposes and are used as a sex aid to reduce risk of injury from anal sex and as a recreational drug.

Analysis of poppers was conducted through data collected over 10 years from the independent annual English Festival Study (EFS), which includes questions on demographic characteristics, past and current alcohol and other drug use.

Statistics from the EFS highlighted that respondents who had engaged in anal sex in the last year were more than twice as likely to have taken poppers. The study showed that gay men participating in anal sex were found to be 14 times more likely to have used poppers in the past year than straight women not participating in anal sex, proving that poppers are a drug commonly used by gay men.

The legal status of poppers is currently ambiguous. This year, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recommended a unique exemption for poppers from the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 because they are used by gay and bisexual men to reduce risk of injury during anal sexual intercourse.

The research in the new paper has shown that poppers are more likely to be used by gay men, meaning that the proposed exemption would alleviate harm faced by this minority group.

However, the authors of the research highlight the flaws of this approach. By granting a proposed exemption for one minority group the authors state that this risks exacerbating inequalities when other drugs used by different minority groups are not given equal consideration regarding the harms resulting to them from drug controls.

The government is obliged to respond to the recommendations of AMCD reports in a timely manner, meaning that a decision will need to be made soon regarding whether or not to allow poppers to be sold as a sex aid.

Professor Fiona Measham, chair in criminology at the University of Liverpool, who led the study said, “We welcome consideration being given to how the Psychoactive Substances Act disproportionately affects groups with protected characteristics but are calling for that same logic to be applied to all affected groups, including by race, gender, age and class.

“While poppers have long been presumed to be used by gay men, this study now shows there is a clear association. To exempt poppers sales from legislative control because of an impact on gay and bisexual men contrasts with the vastly disproportionate impact of criminalization of drugs on marginalized minority ethnic groups, youth and the working class.

“We hope that the government considers the broader issue of social justice when responding to the recommendations and takes this opportunity to review current drug policy more comprehensively.

“Our research indicates that the government can be more ambitious in its approach to drug policy and reorient toward a social justice approach which addresses structural inequalities across society linked to the current outdated Misuse of Drugs Act.”

Professor Mark McCormack, Professor of Sociology at Aston University, added, “It’s not right that a policy of exemptions should benefit one group while ignoring the harms to other groups also with protected characteristics.”