Ministers confirm poppers won’t be banned by the Psychoactive Substances Bill

Home Office ministers have confirmed that alkyl nitrite, also known as poppers, will not be banned by the government’s Psychoactive Substances Bill that comes into law on April 1.

The government initially intended to ban the liquid chemical, but has backed down following a response from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. That outlined poppers do not fall under the definition of a “psychoactive substance” written into the bill because their effect on the brain is only “peripheral”.

Karen Bradley, who works as Minister for Security within the Home Office, made the announcement to the ACMD committee, saying: “Having given due consideration, the government agrees with your advice and interpretation of the definition. We do so in the understanding that ‘poppers’ have these unique indirect effects.”

All other ‘legal highs’ targeted by the bill are still expected to be outlawed, with Bradley further adding: “Our understanding is that this approach does not have any further implications for the operation of the Act and that other substances that the Act intends to cover are not affected.”

This is a revelation that will delight the gay community, who commonly use poppers as a sexual enhancer and campaigned against its banning. Conservative MP Crispin Blunt was among the activists, revealing in parliament that he uses poppers and labelling the prospective ban as “fantastically stupid”.

[Via: The Guardian]

[Illustration: Drug Science]

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter