Are poppers legal in Switzerland?

The answer to this question can be answered with yes and no, respectively. with “it depends”. We have been dealing with the legal situation of poppers in Switzerland since 2014 and have already followed several criminal and administrative proceedings on this topic.

Possession and use of poppers legal in Switzerland

It has been confirmed several times that poppers are not subject to the Narcotics Act in Switzerland, mainly because they are not addictive. (So poppers are not drugs). Swissmedic has also confirmed that poppers do not fall under the Medicinal Products Act because they do not have a medical purpose. In Switzerland, poppers fall under the likewise very strict and complicated Chemicals Act ChemG. The possession and “consumption” of poppers is permitted in Switzerland.

Is the sale of poppers legal in Switzerland?

The sale of poppers is only permitted under very specific conditions.

The ingredients of poppers are mostly nitrites (alkyl esters of nitrous acid). There is a whole range of nitrites and it is precisely here that, among other things, a distinction is made as to which nitrites may be sold as poppers in Switzerland and which may not. Some nitrites are carcinogenic or toxic by aspiration and can be fatal if accidentally swallowed. We clearly distance ourselves from these nitrites, which are not permitted in Switzerland. We at Poppers-Online.ch only sell poppers with the ingredients pentyl nitrite, hexyl nitrite and Canadian Formula (pentyl). So pay attention to the ingredients. You can find out more about this in our post on the ingredients of poppers.

Recommended nitrites for poppers

If legal security and your health and the health of your fellow human beings are important to you, we recommend that you only buy poppers with the ingredient pentyl nitrite (CAS 463-04-7) or hexyl nitrite (UFI V300-A06S-K00V-G02P) or Canadian Formula (EC No. 951-169-0). Beware of the square bottles with 24ml content! On our site you will only find products based on pentyl nitrite, hexyl nitrite and Canadian Formula (round bottles and square bottles with 25ml content).

We continuously monitor the legal situation in Switzerland and Europe and provide information on this page. Various Swiss authorities deal with the issue of poppers at regular intervals.

Responsible handling of chemicals is very important to us and we do not want to endanger human health at any time. The protection of minors and product safety are important issues for us. We would like to play our part in raising awareness about poppers in Switzerland and the legal use of poppers in Switzerland.