“This Man Does Not Make Poppers”

This was such an interesting read. Apparently it was very hard to track down where/how our favorite nitrites are made, but apparently this guy is the unsung hero of nitrites–a old cis straight white guy in Pennsylvania with a wife and kids who has literally never used them in any way lol.

Without his continued innovation and legal know-how, it probably would’ve vanished/been forgotten after a number of law changes, or be a very weak, less “effective” formulation. Alkyl nitrite had been long banned in the 70s (prescription only) and then so was isobutyl nitrite, which was the “workaround” labeled as liquid incense up until the deaths of those originally involved.

The nitrite has to have a specific chemical formulation. “The number of carbons is crucial because it will determine the boiling point of the substance. Too few carbons and it will evaporate too easily — too many, and the liquid won’t vaporize at all. The ideal number of carbons is four or five, producing butyl and amyl nitrites, respectively.”

Because of the drug’s ties to sex culture, gay activists it was suggested that the drug was either a direct cause or at least a cofactor in HIV.

By 1990, lawmakers passed a bill adding volatile alkyl nitrites to the list of banned hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act.

Farr initially changed the recipe to cyclohexyl nitrites, a slightly different chemical compound that wasn’t subject to the federal ban (but wasn’t as popular), until he discovered a better workaround: A nail polish remover composed of an alkyl nitrite solvent.

He came up with the idea after a woman in his factory complained the liquids were always ruining her fancy nails. Given this categorization, this manufacturing of alkyl nitrites falls under a Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act exception listed in the 1990 ban.

Next time you take a whiff of your nitrite of choice, nod to this guy who’s been fighting off the FDA for decades for the gays. P.S., all of them produced by Pac West are the exact same formulation, they’re just in different labels and priced differently to make some seem better than others. That’s marketing, baby!