International Poppers Day 5. April

World Poppers Day is on 5 April and poppers fans around the world celebrate International Poppers Day. International Poppers Day was established by Eric Hassan, a New Yorker, in 2019. Eric is nicknamed the “Godfather of Poppers” in many circles. We wanted to know more about International Poppers Day and more about Eric Hassan and met him for an interview.

Eric, how did you come up with the idea of the International Poppers Day?

As someone who is fairly prominent in the world of poppers, I’ve always thought they are a great way to bring people together – just think about the bond you feel when you have a new sex partner and he brings a bottle of poppers!

One day in 2019 I was talking to a friend and mentioned that there seems to be a day to honor nearly everything (coffee, grandparents, donuts) but there wasn’t a day to celebrate poppers. My friend suggested that I could create that and advised me to pick a date a few months away to allow for planning. I chose April 5 because I used to joke that my birthday should be a holiday and I saw this as a chance to make that happen! I also figured I wouldn’t forget it and it would mean a lot to me to mark my birthday with a celebration of the poppers brotherhood.

How did the International Poppers Day evolve over the last 5 years since 2019?

At first, this was mostly an online celebration marking the day with followers of mine. I wanted this to grow organically – with guys telling other guys, seeking connections with other poppers users, sharing in the joy. I decided I would consider it successful if one person I didn’t know and didn’t follow me mentioned it and that a poppers company mentioned it. Both of those happened the second year around!

Since then, it’s evolved to include even more people. It’s also evolved from people asking me how to celebrate to folks taking a lead and making their own celebrations. It’s so lovely to see so many guys get excited about International Poppers Day and to see all the ways they celebrate.

Moving forward, I would personally like to make a bigger deal of the day. It’s hard because it’s only one day, and it takes a lot to get any notice amongst all the background din of life, but the way I see it – the more I can spread the word, the more guys embrace the brotherhood, the more we all are lifted up.

How would you like to see the International Poppers Day in 2050?

I would like to see International Poppers Day gone by 2050 because we have prioritized harm reduction, studied safety, and decriminalized or legalized poppers everywhere. I would like a world where poppers are subject to regulations similar to that of tobacco or alcohol.

What is your favorite Poppers or Poppers Formula?

This is a very very difficult question! For years, I was able to buy poppers at shops here in NYC, but over the years, without the regulations that personal-use products are subject to, the quality of what you can get in a retail shop has declined to the point I actively advise folks NOT to purchase poppers from retail shops unless you are familiar enough with what to look for to determine quality.

JJ Black is a long-term favorite of mine. There are others I like better but this was the first one where I was so impressed by my experience that it was my only brand for years. I also enjoy PL-100 and PL-200 from Video Head Cleaner. They’re on the pricy side, but they are more than worth it. Few poppers are as smooth and pack as much of a punch as the ones from Video Head Cleaners.The Everest is outstanding as well.

Do you use sniffer caps like Super Sniffer or XTRM Leakproof?

I love them! It’s about time that folks addressed how difficult a small bottle and screw-on cap can be when you’re in the middle of a good bate session! That said, I don’t use them often and that is ONLY because I’ve been huffing poppers for 25 years without them. It’s a habit to not have them and frankly, I’d like to start making it a habit to use them. The advantages I see to these types of products include reduced air exposure, reduced fume loss, reduced spills, reduced risk of chemical burns and they’re a great way to direct the fumes exactly where you need them!

How do you think people should choose an online shop for Poppers?

There are a lot of ways depending on what is important to you. A good place to start is familiarizing yourself with what’s out there for options. Do a Google search. Read what poppers friends are writing about on Reddit, Telegram, Twitter, etc. to find some recommendations, things to look out for, or things to know. Then take a look at these shops. See which ones have formulas you like in the sizes you want. Check prices. Consider shipping costs and times. Then make your choice. It’s important to remember that YOUR poppers experience is YOURS. How you react to different formulas will depend on lots of factors. The best way to know what works for you and doesn’t work for you is trying it out. You can ask a million people “what’s the best poppers for getting fucked?” or ” what’s the strongest poppers?” and you’ll get a million answers – none of which are YOURS.

What do you think of legalization in different parts of the world of Poppers as Poppers?

Legislation that is less than full legalization is unwarranted, not scientifically sound, arbitrary, laughably puritanical, homophobic, sexphobic, unnecessary and ineffective. There are multiple substances that are abused with far more impact and with far less regulation and there is no rational argument that a sane adult can make for banning the use of poppers.

There is already a community of poppers users who purchase and use poppers recreationally. There is already a body of anecdotal evidence and inciental scientific evidence that tells us how poppers work and how we can use them as safely as possible within the limits of what we know about them. This community exists NOW and has been around for decades.

What we need is well-designed scientific studies on the effects of poppers. There needs to be population health-guided harm reductions campaigns. There needs to be appropriate restrictions to maintain safety. There needs to be safe, reliable sources for people to get accurate information.

Making something illegal because you don’t like it or don’t care about the people who do, without actual proof that there’s sufficient danger to the community, and without any willingness to inquire on the truth is both an unfortunate commonality in governing today but is also lazy and careless leadership, usually excused by hiding behind religion and falsely claiming children are in danger.

There are countries that have legalized poppers in some form or another. I appreciate the process they went through to make that happen, and how – even if it’s just in one small way – they manage to not let fear win.

26.03.2024

You can find more information about Eric Hassan at www.thedudenextdoor.com or on Twitter/X at https://twitter.com/EricHassanXXX.

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