Are Poppers Legal In Canada?

While it's a commonly known fact that many different types of substances are dangerous to consume and can have detrimental effects on a person’s health. One of these substances, that many people may have not heard of, are called “poppers.” Poppers are essentially a slang term for any type of substance with alkyl nitrate in them, which essentially makes the person inhaling to have a rush, which makes them feel lightheaded and horny; it was largely used by bottoms to be able to have an easier way to have anal sex. Because of their perceived dangerous harms to people, they have been banned for human consumption in countries all around the world, including Canada. But when, and why specifically?

Poppers: A short Canadian history

Poppers first became banned in Canada in 2013, after they had been freely used since the late 1960’s. Despite Canada’s measures to limit the circulation of poppers into the hands of the people, they are still sold and aren’t all too difficult to attain. Some of the reasons that Canada and many other countries banned the use of poppers is because of the unsafe adulterated substances that are contained in poppers that have been linked to serious health conditions down the line, and in some rare circumstances, including death.

Another reason that Canada referenced when poppers were initially banned is that the ingredients and the use of them were not regulated whatsoever by the Canadian market, which meant that the risk of using them was virtually unknown. However, these are the reasons that Canada had banned poppers all together informally. In their official statement in 2013, Canada did not point to a specific point of why they were banned, and why they were banned at that time. At the time, it is estimated that around 30% of queer men had used poppers before the ban, and after the ban, people were still able to find poppers, but it obviously got significantly harder.