Grant: Project Grant

The use of alkyl nitrites, commonly known as "poppers", has been common in nightlife and sexual contexts since the 1970s in many international settings including Canada. When inhaled, poppers relax smooth muscle and prevent spasm and injury (e.g., tearing of the inner sphincter) during receptive anal intercourse and can therefore facilitate comfortable and pleasurable sex. As such, poppers are commonly used during sex by some gay, bisexual, trans, Two-Spirit, queer and other men who have sex with men (herein, GBT2Q men). Poppers also heighten the experience of pleasure and cause the dilation of cerebral blood vessels, giving the user a "rush". In 2013, Health Canada initiated a crackdown on poppers products, taking the position that they constitute "drugs" under the federal Food and Drugs Act, making the sale of poppers illegal without Health Canada's authorization. While data remains limited, our preliminary work suggests that the prevalence of poppers use among GBT2Q men persists at high rates despite Health Canada's enforcement efforts. Our previous work has also documented significant concerns among GBT2Q men about their ability to access safe poppers products and reliable health information in the context of the poppers crackdown. We are a team of researchers and knowledge users comprised of public health scientists, legal professionals, care providers, and GBT2Q community organization professionals. The overall aim of our proposed research is to identify policy, care and education strategies to minimize harms among GBT2Q men who use poppers. To accomplish this aim, we need new data and analyses that document and describe how the current regulatory conditions are affecting GBT2Q men who use poppers. As we look toward strategies to reduce harms, we require new data collected with a variety of pertinent parties including community, industry, care providers, regulatory authorities, and GBT2Q men who use poppers.