OTTAWA POLICE PROBE ILLEGAL SALE OF 'POPPERS'

Sold As Aphrodisiacs, 'Rave' Drugs Are Potentially Fatal And Have Been Sold
At Some Downtown Shops

Ottawa police are investigating several downtown stores that sell illegal
and potentially fatal substances touted as aphrodisiacs.

"Poppers" are clear liquid substances that smell like rubbing alcohol and
are inhaled through the nose.

Ottawa police said they are aware poppers exist in Ottawa's "rave culture,"
but until recently were unaware downtown stores sold the substance.

Stores that sell poppers could face prosecution from Health Canada. The
federal department also plans to begin an investigation into the companies
that distribute the drugs.

Chemistry professor Bryan Hollebone said the chemical compound in poppers
gives users a buzz by disrupting their nervous system. High doses of
poppers can kill, he said.

Alkyl nitrite, the chemical compound in poppers, is a prescription-only
ingredient, according to Health Canada. The chemical compound is sometimes
prescribed to treat angina.

Mr. Hollebone said it creates a euphoric and delusional feeling by
increasing blood flow to the brain. Popper fumes go from the nose to the
brain in about seven seconds.

"Euphoria is a system of malfunctioning nerves," he said.

Poppers come in different shapes and sizes. Brand names include Love Juice,
Rush, Bang, Manscent and Leather Cleaner. One company that distributes Love
Juice is Manscent Int'l, based in Delta, B.C.

One screw-top bottle has a warning that reads, "swallowing can prove fatal."

The publisher of Ottawa's gay and lesbian newspaper, Capital Xtra, said
poppers have been around since the 1980s and are used primarily by gay men
to intensify sex.

"You get this euphoric feeling," Brian Gallant said. "You get this body rush."

Mr. Gallant said he knows people who have vomited after inhaling deeply.
But the main side effects of popping are headaches, he said.

Mr. Gallant speculated that about 20 per cent of Ottawa gay males sniff the
substance. Using the substance, which he called an "acquired taste," isn't
prevalent among heterosexual men and women, he said.

The Web site http://www.allaboutpoppers.com explains that in rare cases
individuals may experience "syncope," which it defines as "a transient loss
of consciousness which can occur in sensitive persons kept in a static
upright position after inhalation."

Mr. Gallant believes most heterosexuals don't know about poppers unless
they have been exposed to gay culture.

He said poppers are only one of several street drugs used by the gay community.

"The history of the gay movement is based around gay bars where drugs, sex
and poppers would fit in. It's the way we converge and meet," he said.