--- title: "The FDA, Which is Run By A Homophobic Conspiracy Theorist, Has Raided a Poppers Company" description: "RFK Jr. ascribes to conspiracy theories linking poppers to AIDS — and now, the FDA is cracking down on them under his watch." date: "2025-03-15" modified: "2025-03-15" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/fda-poppers-crackdown-rfk-aids" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "drugs" - "fda" - "poppers" - "rfk jr" --- # The FDA, Which is Run By A Homophobic Conspiracy Theorist, Has Raided a Poppers Company ![RFK Jr. ascribes to conspiracy theories linking poppers to AIDS — and now, the FDA is cracking down on them under his watch.]() *\Image: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty / Futurism\* Donald Trump's administration appears to be cracking down on the production of amyl nitrite, a popular grey-market inhalant better known as "[poppers]()" that induces a brief headrush and can be used as an anal sex aid — and it's probably because his health czar, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., thinks they cause AIDS. In a [March 13 statement]() that was [subsequently circulated]() on [social media](), the poppers brand Double Scorpio announced that it "has stopped all operations following a search and seizure at our offices" by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that RFK Jr. now runs. "We don’t have a lot of information to share," the statement said, "but we believe that the FDA has performed similar actions towards other companies recently." Indeed, as [*Fast Company* reports](), two other merchants of the popular grey-legal substance, whose names were not disclosed so they could speak freely, said that other popper producers have been impacted by the apparent raids. Thus far, neither the FDA nor its parent agency has issued any public confirmation about the alleged crackdown. In a statement to *Futurism*, an FDA spokesperson said that "as a matter of policy, the FDA does not comment on possible criminal investigations" — a cryptic message, because it's unclear what Double Scorpio or any other company would have done that's broken any laws. Despite that non-confirmation, we don't need any new statements to know Kennedy's stance on poppers because he has repeatedly insisted, falsely and moronically, that the drug — and not the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) — causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). As journalist [Justin Ling pointed out]() back in 2023, the [brain-wormed political scion]() has echoed molecular biologist-cum-conspiracy theorist Peter Duesberg, who believes, as RFK Jr. wrote in his book "The Real Anthony Fauci," that "heavy recreational drug use in gay men and drug addicts was the real cause of immune deficiency among the first generation of AIDS sufferers." "The initial signals of AIDS, Kaposi’s sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), were both strongly linked to amyl nitrite — 'poppers' — a popular drug among promiscuous gays," he wrote. "Other common 'wasting' symptoms were all associated with heavy drug use and lifestyle stressors." In the years since publishing the book that arguably [paved the path]() for his ascension to the head of HHS, Kennedy has repeated that nonsensical assertion about AIDS. As the [queer news site *Them* previously reported](), RFK Jr. lied to supporters of his failed presidential bid when [claiming during a 2023 campaign event]() that "100 percent of the people who died — the first thousand who had AIDS were people who were addicted to poppers." Along with throwing queer and trans communities under the bus after the US government [left them to die]() of HIV and AIDS, RFK's spin on the poppers myth also blasts drug users — a group he used to [very much used be a part of](), and has since demonized to the point that he's suggested that people on legal stimulants should be [sent to work camps]() to detox from them. It's worth noting that despite the murky regulatory grey area in which poppers are produced, they are legal and making or selling them over the counter [under the guise]() of "VHS cleaner" or "nail polish remover" is no sketchier than selling [raw milk]() or [ivermectin]() using animal loopholes. In this administration, however, legality is beside the point and loopholes are only for fellow travelers — and the queers and their allies who sniff poppers in the club or in their bedrooms are certainly not that. **More on our new HHS head:** [*RFK Jr. Suggests That Everyone Just Catch Measles*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()