Is RFK Gonna Take the Poppers Away?

This story originally appeared in our Queer Issue on June 4, 2025.

The best way to get silly or loosen a hole in under 10 seconds is under federal attack.

As heartbroken, perhaps panicky, poppers-users know, the US Food and Drug Administration and their buddies from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) raided the much-loved Austin-based poppers-maker Double Scorpio in February. Pac-West Distributing, which manufactures Rush (caution-yellow bottle, red lightning bolt, loved by Troye Sivan), wiped its site, leaving only a lonely GIF of its logo. Seller Nitro-Solv completely ceased operations. Asked about possible raids and its position on poppers, the FDA told The Stranger that “as a matter of policy, the FDA does not comment on possible criminal investigations.”

Is this DEFCO