The history of poppers, which brings together the threads of national and sexual politics, law, academia, the medical profession, pharamceuticals, and the Internet, is fascinating reading. We have divided our poppers history into four sections: medical history of poppers, academic history of poppers, political history of poppers, and commercial poppers history.

MEDICAL HISTORY OF POPPERS

1859 First effects of amyl nitrite on the human body was noticed was noticed by doctors in Europe. The first effect noticed was the flushing of the skin around the neck, which the later discovered was due to vasodilation.

1867 Doctors discovered that the vasodilatory effects of amyl nitrite was causing the smooth muscles to relax which was found to be beneficial to patients with heart pain. Amyl nitrite was subsequently used as a treatment for patients suffering from angina pectoris.

1959 Medical professional claim 100 years of use of amyl nitrite for medical purposes without fatality of casualty.

1960 After FDA (Food and Drug Administration) study into the safety of amyl nitrite, amyl nitrite becomes available over the counter without prescription.

1961 Subsequent to reports that amyl nitrite is being purchased over the counter by healthy young people and used recreationally, the FDA reinstate the prescription requirement.

1985 National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Diseases claim they have discovered at their hospital a link between the use of nitrites and the risk of contracting HIV.

1987 New England Journal of Medicine issue a report about AIDS and the use of nitrites and concluded that the research "failed to support previously reported associations between the use of nitrites and an elevated cyrtomegalovirusantibody filter or Karposi's sarcoma."

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ACADEMIC HISTORY OF POPPERS

1975 Guy M. Everett at the department of pharmacology UCSF publishes Amyl Nitrite (Poppers) as an Aphrodisiac.

1979 The first major study of the use and effects of alkyl nitrite as a recreational drug is published. It is called Isobutyl Nitrite And Related Compounds and is published by Pharmex Ltd. of San Fransisco

1979 The report Amyl Nitrite and The EEG is published by Thomas P. Lowry, M.D. in the Journal of Psychedelic Drugs. Click here for the entire report.

1979 The University of Ottawa join in the discussion with a report on there research stating that "occassional inhalation of isibutyl nitrite in a recreational context is unlikely to pose a health hazard to a reasonable human being".

1982 Thomas P Lowry publishes in the British Journal of Sexual medicine his seminal work on the subject of nitrite abuse entitled Uses and Abuses of Amyl and Butyl Nitrite.

1983 Two studies are published suggesting a link between poppers and the incidence of Karposi's sarcoma in AIDS sufferers.

1984 Cover story of Time Magazine investigates the connection between the abuse of alkyl nitrites and AIDS or AIDS related diseases and concludes that there is no sensible and objective reason to suspect nitrites in any of these respects.

1985 At the request of Hank Wilson (the founder of the Committee to Monitor the Cumulative Effects of Poppers), the AIDS researcher Dr. James Curran speaks out about the use of poppers and states that "current data does not warrant an anti-poppers campaign".

1986 The Mariposa Education and Research Foundation publish Are Poppers safe? by Bruce Voeller PHD - the man who gave AIDS its name. They also conclude that the link between "poppers and AIDS does not withstand close scrutiny".

2000 5000 scientists and physicians meet in South Africa to collectively produce the Durban Declaration which states the case that AIDS is caused by HIV and not an drug or other thing, and declare that the evidence is "clear-cut, exhaustive and unambiguous, meeting the highest standard of science".

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POLITICAL HISTORY OF POPPERS

1980 The federal government become involved in the poppers debate as they commission the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate.

1981 Hank Wilson forms the Committee to Monitor the Cumulative Effects of Poppers in the attempt to discredit prior scientific findings that the use poppers is safe.

1982 CSPC investigation concludes that no restrictive action is necessary to curb the use of poppers and their is no "demonstrable hazard".

1982 Charles Sharp of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) advises Washington that there is no strong case against the use of poppers as a recreational drug. Hank Wilson also admits to the government that there is demonstable link between the use of poppers and AIDS.

1984 US Department of Health and Human Services, in a memorandum to NIDA, state that the abuse of nitrites is "relatively unlikely to result in a medical emergency".

1988 The Committee on Labor and Human resources, headed bu Edward Kennedy, issue the Alkyl Nitrites Study, and concluded in the report that "no further Federal action as to alkyl nitrites is warranted".

1990 US Senator Conrad Burns writes a letter to Senator Hollings, the chairman of the committee responsible for anti-poppers legislation, saying that' "it troubles me that section 2214 of the house bill would require a ban on a product without any congressional hearing".

1988 Section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act, banned the manufacture for sale, distribution in commerce, or importation of various forms of "butyl nitrite." 

1990 Congress amended the law to also ban "volatile alkyl nitrites that can be used for inhaling or otherwise introducing volatile alkyl nitrites into the human body for euphoric or physical effects."

1990 Bruce Voeller, the man who gave AIDS its name, writes a letter to Henry Waxman - chairman of the Health and Environment Subcommittee - urging him to rethink bill HR 4774 to ban volatile nitrites.

1991 Federal law is passed making the sale of nitrites as a recreational inhalant illegal.

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COMMERCIAL HISTORY OF POPPERS

1961 First reports that amyl nitrite is being bought and consumed by young people as a recreational drug. This same year, the FDA reinstates the prescription requirement for amyl nitrite.

1969 First poppers are sold commercially in Los Angeles containing isobutyl nitrite and first brand name is trademarked: Locker Room.

1977 Reports in The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine claim that the use of isobutyl nitrite - poppers - as a recreational drug has become big - $50 million a year - business.

1985 New York State bans the sale of nitrite odorants "as drugs".

2002 PWD publish allaboutpoppers.com on the Internet, an aggressive attempt to promote the use of poppers and to stimulate poppers ecommerce.