UK Popper study highlights problems with proposed drug policy

New research into the use of the drug poppers (alkyl nitrites) has revealed contradictions in proposed changes to drug policy in the UK and how exemptions from the law could affect minority groups.

The study, published today (Monday 23 September) in the British Journal of Criminology, is the first to look at who is using poppers in the UK and why.

When used for non-medical purposes, poppers are used as a sex aid to provide a cheap, short-term excitement and to reduce the risk of injury from anal sex, and as a recreational drug.

Popper’s analysis was conducted using data collected over a 10-year period from the independent annual English Festival Study (EFS), which included questions about demographic characteristics and past and current use of alcohol and other drugs.

Statistics from the EFS showed that respondents who had anal sex in the past year were more than twice as likely to have taken poppers. The survey also found that gay men who had anal sex were 14 times more likely to have used poppers in the past year than straight women who did not have anal sex, proving that poppers are a commonly used drug among gay men.

The legal status of poppers is currently unclear: earlier this year the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recommended that poppers be specifically exempted from the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 because gay and bisexual men use poppers to reduce the risk of injury during anal sex.

Research in the new paper shows that poppers are used more by gay men, and the proposed exemptions would reduce the harm faced by this minority group.

However, the study’s authors point out flaws in this approach: granting the proposed exemptions to one minority group risks exacerbating inequalities if other drugs used by different minority groups are not equally considered in terms of the harm caused to them by drug regulation, they say.

The Government has an obligation to respond to the recommendations of the AMCD report in a timely manner, meaning a decision needs to be made quickly on whether to allow poppers to be sold as a sexual aid.

Prof Fiona Measham, head of criminology at the University of Liverpool, who led the research, said: “We welcome consideration of how psychoactive substance laws disproportionately affect groups with protected characteristics, but we call for the same logic to be applied to all affected groups, including race, sex, age and class.”

“Poppers have long been associated with use by gay men, but this study finds a clear association. Exempting the sale of poppers from legal restrictions because of their impact on gay and bisexual men contrasts with the hugely disproportionate impact of drug criminalisation on marginalised ethnic minorities, young people and the working class.”

“We hope that the Government will consider broader issues of social justice when responding to the recommendations and will use this opportunity to conduct a more comprehensive review of current drug policy.”

“Our study suggests that governments can become more ambitious in their drug policy approach and redirect it towards social justice initiatives that address structural inequalities across society linked to current outdated drug abuse laws.”

Mark McCormack, professor of sociology at Aston University, added: “It is not right that exemption policies benefit one group whilst ignoring the harm to other groups with protected characteristics.”