A local HIV activist said he is dissatisfied with the Folsom Street Fair's response to vendors who sold poppers at the event, and that education around the dangers of the drugs is not only a legal obligation, but should also be a community responsibility.
Hank Wilson, of the Committee to Monitor Poppers/Survive AIDS, said he encountered two different vendors at last Sunday's Folsom Street Fair selling poppers who did not also display the legally required warning about the substances' possible effect on the immune system.
Poppers – the common term for a variety of alkyl nitrites – are usually sold in small brown bottles labeled as "video head cleaner," "room deodorizer," or "leather cleaner." The contents of the bottles – which are not regulated or subject to safety tests – are inhaled to produce a high in users. According to some research, poppers use also temporarily compromises the immune system, putting people at greater risk for HIV transmission, said Wilson. Early in the AIDS epidemic, there were several studies linking poppers use to Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS condition. Some research has also reported that using poppers in combination with Viagra could lead to heart failure.
"I think a lot of people in the community are not aware of the risk and need to have it on their radar screen. The young guys, especially, weren't around when we had the debate about it, when there was a heavy focus on poppers at the beginning of the epidemic," Wilson told the Bay Area Reporter. "We know some people get exposed to HIV and don't always get infected but with poppers you compromise your immunity and you expose yourself to infection. Three sniffs is on the low end for people who use them, and that puts the immune system to sleep."
When poppers advocacy was in its infancy, said Wilson, San Francisco's health department gave activists the option of banning the products, but Wilson and others refused, opting instead for an educational approach that informed users of the potential dangers. As a result, for about 20 years, California as well as San Francisco laws have required that anybody selling poppers also post a sign disclosing that alkyl nitrites may be harmful to a person's health and have an effect on the immune system.
Wilson said he approached the vendors selling poppers at Folsom last Sunday and asked them to post the required warnings or stop selling the products. While the local vendor agreed, he said, he had to complain to police officers to address the poppers booth set up by Lockerscent, a Florida-based company whose Web site advertises the alkyl nitrite product "Rush" and at press time still featured a banner that invited visitors to check out their booth at the fair. Lockerscent did not return phone calls from the B.A.R. seeking comment.
Wilson said he made his complaint about Lockerscent last Sunday to a police officer who happened to be speaking with Folsom Street Events Executive Director Darryl Flick at the time.
Flick told the B.A.R. that Folsom Street Events is aware of Wilson's issues with poppers, but he emphasized that while organizers worked hard to make sure the fair was in compliance with the law, fair organizers specifically leave potential legal violations up to the police.
"We have SFPD on site for a purpose, and we agree it's their job, not mine, to make determinations about what's legal or illegal," said Flick, noting that he was mid-conversation with Captain Denis O'Leary when Wilson interrupted them. "Like many issues, Folsom Street Events is not here to police people's lives and not here to determine what is right and what is wrong; that is a personal choice."
O'Leary told the B.A.R. that he took Wilson's complaint and assigned a sergeant to investigate the health code, and that once the law was confirmed, the merchant was advised to stop the sale of the nitrite.
O'Leary said that the responsibility of fair organizers in such situations varies. "If it's a constant problem, then the police would ask the organization and promoters to take the necessary steps to prevent it. This is my second time working the fair and the first time I ever encountered this," he said. "I can tell you that next year in the pre-event meetings we will discuss the matter and will put it in front of the promoters and they will have to deal with the merchants they give space to, just as we give notification to local businesses about serving alcohol during street closures. I sent letters to every ABC licensee within that street closure advising them of the law, and that's a result of past violations observed. Is it on the promoter to do that? Only if it becomes a nagging problem."
Wilson said he continues to push for community responsibility around displaying poppers warnings in order to raise awareness, and that unlike crystal meth – which receives a great deal of attention around its link to HIV transmission – it's more difficult to get people to talk about poppers, he said.
"I think it's ironic that an event that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for the AIDS community – which I applaud them for – also supports what is harmful to our community," said Wilson.
Many local merchants and organizations have been responsive to education about poppers, said Wilson, so it is particularly aggravating for him to see out-of-towners allowed to violate local laws at the expense of the local community.
"This Florida outfit flies in for the fair, makes big bucks, takes off, and then leaves us with a problem," he said.