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Monday 19 October 2009
Deadly sex drug sold openly on top online shop
The potentially hazardous sex drug “poppers” are freely available on the mainland’s biggest internet shop, despite being banned in many countries worldwide.
The potentially hazardous sex drug “poppers” are freely available on the mainland’s biggest internet shop, despite being banned in many countries worldwide.
Around 2,000 pages on taobao.com advertise bottles of poppers with brand names such as Manscent, Colt Fuel, Blue Boy and Jungle Juice, for prices starting at less than 10 yuan (HK$11.20).
The group of chemicals - often known as amyl nitrite, one of the most common forms of poppers - are a party drug which causes a temporary mental rush when inhaled. They are most notoriously used as a sex enhancer by gays and, less commonly, heterosexuals.
Abuse of the chemicals has been linked to strokes, heart attacks and the increased chance of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. If drunk rather than inhaled, the results can be fatal.
Amyl nitrite is part of a group of solvents - collectively known as alkyl nitrites - which were banned for sale as an inhalant in most Western countries due to health concerns almost 20 years ago. However, they are regularly sold over the internet as “video head cleaning fluid”, “room aromas” or “polish remover”.
The sale of alkyl nitrites does not appear to have been prohibited on the mainland, where their use as a recreational drug is not widely known.
Li Xianhui, director of the detection department of the Ministry of Public Security’s Narcotics Control Bureau, warned in June that the number of drug users on the mainland was on the rise because of the widespread use of synthetic drugs such as amphetamines and Ecstasy.
He said the mainland should expand the focus of its drug control to include recreational drugs.
According to the bureau, the number of drug addicts on the mainland was 1.13 million in June, a significant jump from 960,000 in 2007 but lower than the 1.15 million reported for 2005.
If indeed no legislation covers the sale of these poppers, it appears they can be bought legally. The advertising imagery used on the taobao.com pages - where most of the sellers appeared to be based in Shanghai - left little doubt as to the poppers’ intended usage: well-muscled and partially clad male torsos predominated.
Many of the pages include a list of frequently asked questions on usage and the effects of poppers. Others reproduce an article printed in the Chinese version of Esquire magazine last year which detailed the drug’s sexual uses, but made no mention of the potential dangers.
When inhaled directly, alkyl nitrites work as a relaxant to smooth muscles, which are involuntary muscles in arteries, veins, the digestive system and the genitalia.
The effect on the blood circulation increases the heart rate, creating a “head rush” and a sensation of excitement - and often an increase in sexual desire.
Amyl nitrite first came into medical use as an emergency cyanide antidote, but was later used to treat angina. It emerged as a recreational drug in the late 1960s.
1 comment:
Deadly sex drug sold openly on top online shop
‘Poppers’ freely available on website
Will Clem in Shanghai
19 October 2009
The potentially hazardous sex drug “poppers” are freely available on the mainland’s biggest internet shop, despite being banned in many countries worldwide.
Around 2,000 pages on taobao.com advertise bottles of poppers with brand names such as Manscent, Colt Fuel, Blue Boy and Jungle Juice, for prices starting at less than 10 yuan (HK$11.20).
The group of chemicals - often known as amyl nitrite, one of the most common forms of poppers - are a party drug which causes a temporary mental rush when inhaled. They are most notoriously used as a sex enhancer by gays and, less commonly, heterosexuals.
Abuse of the chemicals has been linked to strokes, heart attacks and the increased chance of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. If drunk rather than inhaled, the results can be fatal.
Amyl nitrite is part of a group of solvents - collectively known as alkyl nitrites - which were banned for sale as an inhalant in most Western countries due to health concerns almost 20 years ago. However, they are regularly sold over the internet as “video head cleaning fluid”, “room aromas” or “polish remover”.
The sale of alkyl nitrites does not appear to have been prohibited on the mainland, where their use as a recreational drug is not widely known.
Li Xianhui, director of the detection department of the Ministry of Public Security’s Narcotics Control Bureau, warned in June that the number of drug users on the mainland was on the rise because of the widespread use of synthetic drugs such as amphetamines and Ecstasy.
He said the mainland should expand the focus of its drug control to include recreational drugs.
According to the bureau, the number of drug addicts on the mainland was 1.13 million in June, a significant jump from 960,000 in 2007 but lower than the 1.15 million reported for 2005.
If indeed no legislation covers the sale of these poppers, it appears they can be bought legally. The advertising imagery used on the taobao.com pages - where most of the sellers appeared to be based in Shanghai - left little doubt as to the poppers’ intended usage: well-muscled and partially clad male torsos predominated.
Many of the pages include a list of frequently asked questions on usage and the effects of poppers. Others reproduce an article printed in the Chinese version of Esquire magazine last year which detailed the drug’s sexual uses, but made no mention of the potential dangers.
When inhaled directly, alkyl nitrites work as a relaxant to smooth muscles, which are involuntary muscles in arteries, veins, the digestive system and the genitalia.
The effect on the blood circulation increases the heart rate, creating a “head rush” and a sensation of excitement - and often an increase in sexual desire.
Amyl nitrite first came into medical use as an emergency cyanide antidote, but was later used to treat angina. It emerged as a recreational drug in the late 1960s.
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