Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recommended the banning of “poppers” in the county, angering members of the LGBTQ community.
“Poppers” is a common name for amyl nitrite, an inhaled drug popular in many gay circles as a sexual stimulant and muscle relaxant. Available since the 1960s, they became popular initially in the disco era, and saw resurgence in the 1990s.
The decision by the TGA would ban “poppers,” placing them onto section 9 of the Poisons Standard. This would put the inhalants on the same schedule as heroin, and would make them illegal to sell, possess, use or administer.
The use of “poppers” has been under scrutiny in Australia for several years, especially in the wake of a study on the use of Ecstasy revealed that 21% of users of that drug also use “Poppers.”
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“Poppers” have also grown in popularity amongst straight people, with some LGBTQ activists claiming that this is the cause of the recommended ban.
“The TGA are completely ignoring the queer experience of poppers and don’t give a shit about us, so yeah the straights are ruining it for us but the TGA also couldn’t care less about us” said one anonymous activist to GayStarNews.
The government is actively seeking responses to the recommendation.
