
April 5th is World Poppers Day and poppers fans around the world celebrate International Poppers Day. International Poppers Day was founded 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 always joked that my birthday should be a holiday. And now I saw my chance to put this into practice! I also thought that I wouldn’t forget it that way, and it would mean a lot to me to celebrate my birthday with a celebration of the poppers community.
How did the International Poppers Day evolve over the last 5 years since 2019?
How would you like to see the International Poppers Day in 2050?
I would like to see International Poppers Day in 2050 no longer needed because we have prioritized the harmful effects, investigated safety and decriminalized or legalized poppers everywhere. I would like to see a world where poppers are regulated in the same way as 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 in stores here in NYC. Over the years, without the regulations that personal use products are subject to, the quality of what you can get in a retail store has declined to the point where I actively advise people NOT to buy poppers in stores unless you are familiar 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 people came to grips with how difficult a small bottle and screw top can be when you’re in the middle of a good bate session! However, I don’t use them often, and that’s ONLY because I’ve been inhaling without them for 25 years. It’s a habit not to have them, and honestly I’d like to start making it a habit to use them. The benefits I see in these products include less exposure to air, less loss of vapor, less spillage, less risk of chemical burns, and a great way to direct the vapors exactly where you need them!
How do you think people should choose an online shop for Poppers?
There are many options, depending on what is important to you. A good place to start is to familiarize yourself with the different offers. Do a Google search. Read what poppers friends are writing about on Reddit, Telegram, Twitter, etc. to find recommendations on what to look out for or what you should know. Then check out those stores. See which stores offer the formulations you want in the sizes you want. Check the prices. Take shipping costs and times into account. Then make your choice. It’s important to remember that YOUR experience with poppers is YOUR experience. How you react to the different formulations depends on many factors. The best way to find out what works for you and what doesn’t is to try 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 provides for anything less than full legalization is unjustified, scientifically unsound, arbitrary, ridiculously puritanical, homophobic, sexphobic, unnecessary, and ineffective. There are numerous substances that are abused with far greater effect and far less regulation, and there is no rational argument that a reasonable adult can make for banning poppers use.
There is already a community of poppers users who buy and use poppers as a recreational drug. There is already a body of anecdotal evidence and scientific beginnings that tell us how poppers work and how we can use them as safely as possible within the limits of our knowledge of them. This community exists NOW and has existed for decades.
What we need are well-designed scientific studies on the effects of poppers. There must be campaigns to limit harmful effects, based on the health of the population. There must be adequate restrictions to ensure safety. There must be safe, reliable sources from which people can obtain 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 one form or another. I appreciate the process they went through to achieve that, and how they managed – even if only in a small way – 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.