Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant admits taking poppers
Midland MP Michael Fabricant shocked social media users today when he admitted to taking poppers – a drug that the government is considering banning.
The Conservative MP for Lichfield said that poppers, commonly referred to as a sex drug, made him feel 'dizzy'. He added that he was against banning the drug.
Mr Fabricant was responding to a question on social media site Twitter about how he felt about taking the drug.
Mr Fabricant had earlier been accused of giving too much information away when he revealed details of a "Tea Room discussion" about the effects of the drug on certain areas of the body.
Poppers are available legally from sex shops, but the Government is considering banning them as part of a crackdown on legal highs. They are commonly used by gay men to aid with sex by relaxing the body, but are also taken for the head rush feeling the drug provides.
A potential ban on the drug was debated in the House of Commons today, but Mr Fabricant said that banning poppers would be a 'stupid' move.
During a debate on the Government's Psychoactive Substances Bill MP Crispin Blunt also admitted using poppers. The Conservative MP warned parliament that banning the drug would harm the gay community, saying that he was 'astonished' at the plans.
Poppers are made up of liquid chemicals and are usually sniffed directly out of a bottle. They give the user a head rush high that lasts from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
Government-funded awareness website Talk to Frank says that poppers are linked with "risky sexual behaviour" and warns that poppers can cause a variety of effects including nausea, dangerously low blood pressure and an irregular heart rate.
