There are moments in recent queer history that deserve more attention than they get. The near ban of poppers in 2016 is one of them: a story of sweeping legislation, community outrage, an MP’s candid confession and a quiet climbdown that most people who use poppers today know nothing about.

This is that story.

The law that almost changed everything

In 2015 the government brought forward the Psychoactive Substances Bill, designed to tackle the explosion of so-called “legal highs” that were causing real harm across the country. It would make it an offence to produce, supply or offer to supply any substance capable of producing a psychoactive effect, unless it was specifically exempted.

On paper, the logic was sound. In practice, the definition was so broad that it appeared to capture almost anything that affects the mind. Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and medicines were written in as exemptions. Poppers were not.

Alkyl nitrites, the family of chemicals sold as poppers, had been part of gay nightlife and sexual culture for decades. Suddenly they looked set to become illegal to sell.

The LGBT+ community noticed. And it was not happy.

The backlash

Sexual health organisations, LGBT+ charities, community groups and individual activists made the case that poppers, sold legally for years as room aromas, were being swept up in legislation never designed for them.

The Home Affairs Select Committee agreed. In October 2015 it recommended that poppers be exempt from the ban, saying they were not seen as causing significant harm.

The Crispin Blunt moment

The debate reached the Commons in January 2016. During it, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt told the House that he used poppers and called the proposed ban “fantastically stupid”. It was a rare moment of candour in Parliament, and it made headlines.

Despite that, MPs voted down an amendment that would have exempted poppers, and the Act received Royal Assent at the end of January 2016. For a few weeks, it looked as if the ban would go ahead.

The quiet climbdown

The government had asked its own scientific advisers, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), to look again. In March 2016 the ACMD concluded that, under the Act, a substance is psychoactive only if it acts directly on the central nervous system. Alkyl nitrites work mainly by widening blood vessels rather than acting directly on the brain, so they did not meet that definition.

On 22 March 2016, Home Office minister Karen Bradley wrote to the ACMD’s chair, Professor Les Iversen, confirming that the government agreed with that advice and interpretation. Poppers fell outside the Act.

There was no new law and no exemption written onto the statute book. The Act came into force in May 2016 in its original broad form, but the government’s position, and the advice behind it, was clear: the Act does not cover poppers.

It was a quiet victory. Outside the LGBT+ press there were few headlines and no celebrations. Most people who bought a bottle that summer had no idea how close shops had come to being banned from selling it.

How the LGBT+ Community Saved Poppers: The Inside Story of the 2016 Legal Battle and how we stopped the Poppers Ban

Why it matters

First, it shows what organised, evidence-based advocacy can achieve. Sexual health professionals, harm reduction specialists, LGBT+ organisations and one unusually honest MP made the case through the right channels, and they won.

Second, it set a reference point. The legal position of poppers today rests on that 2016 advice and the government’s acceptance of it, which is far more solid than vague assumptions about legality.

Third, it is a reminder that the relationship between LGBT+ lives and the law is never settled. Protections that feel permanent can be challenged through legislation that nobody was specifically watching.

Where things stand today

Poppers are not covered by the Psychoactive Substances Act, and they continue to be sold in the UK as room aromas and cleaning products. You will find them in LGBT+ shops and online, and in the bedside drawers of a significant share of gay and bisexual men.

Ten years on, they remain part of queer nightlife, from club nights to Pride weekends. If you are heading out, our events listing has what’s on across the scene this month.

People who use them should know the main risks:

• Never combine poppers with erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra or Cialis, or with heart medication containing nitrates. Both lower blood pressure, and together they can cause a dangerous drop.

• Never swallow poppers. Swallowing them can be fatal.

• Keep them off your skin and away from your eyes. The liquid can burn, and the ACMD noted rare reports of eye damage linked to poppers use.

• Take extra care with heart or blood pressure problems, or glaucoma. Speak to a doctor first.

Talk to Frank has a clear, plain-English guide to the risks.