- The FDA is cracking down on alkyl nitrites, a quasi-legal inhalent commonly known as poppers.
- Users have scrambled to buy up supplies in stores across Los Angeles and elsewhere.
- Some fear the move is part of a larger anti-LGBTQ+ agenda by the Trump administration.
There’s a rush on Rush.
Stores up and down Santa Monica Boulevard have seen a run on the iconic red and yellow vials this week, as the Food and Drug Administration cracks down on poppers, a product that has long existed in legal limbo.
The active ingredient in Rush and other poppers is alkyl nitrite, a chemical that instantly dilates blood vessels when inhaled, producing a brief but intense feeling of euphoria. It also causes a loosening of smooth muscle tissue, including the anus, an effect that has made it a staple of gay sex for generations.
Although officially banned for human consumption by the FDA, poppers have been sold openly in thumb-sized bottles marketed — with a wink and a nod — as nail polish remover, liquid incense or VHS tape cleaner.
But after the FDA raided a popular brand called Double Scorpio this month, many fear the Trump administration is ending the era of tolerance.
Within days of the Double Scorpio raid, rival brands such as Pig Sweat, Brown Bottle and Dumb Bitch Juice have also become scarce, many retailers said.
“People are calling asking if we’re out,” said Sandy, a cashier at Smoke 4 Less, who gave only her first name because she wasn’t authorized to speak to the press. “They’re stocking up. Right now we’re capped at 10 at a time, just to keep it fair.”
Similar buying frenzies have been reported around the country, with some worried it’s the opening of a new front in a broader campaign against LGBTQ+ people by the federal government.
“It’s a hit on the community,” said Edward, a clerk at Circus of Books in West Hollywood, who declined to give his last name, citing concerns about the drug’s legality since the FDA raid. “If that’s taken out, they don’t know what’s next.”
Roughly a third of gay men have used poppers, and about 20% have used them in the last three months, according to a 2020 report in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs and a 2018 study in the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services.
“I describe it to people as a muscle relaxant,” Edward said. “It helps with anal sex for people whose bodies are more sensitive.”
The bottles are popular enough to enjoy pride of place beside the cash register, and top billing on Circus of Books’ Instagram grid. Still, no one asking for poppers is likely to get them.
“You can call it so many things, but you can’t call it poppers,” said Jay Sosa, an associate professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Bowdoin College in Maine and a scholar of the drug.
Everett Farr III, a longtime maker of Rush-branded nail polish remover, is credited as a pioneer in rebranding. He noted there have been several past crackdowns, and cautioned one FDA raid doesn’t necessarily spell the end.
“This is not my first rodeo,” said Farr. “It’s been pursued religiously before.”
But to many, this moment feels different.
www.latimes.com
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