Are Poppers legal in Singapore?
Also known as: alkyl nitrites, rush
- Legal status
- Not a controlled drug and not a psychoactive substance under this Act. It is not in any Part of the First Schedule, and the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 (Excluded Substances) names "Any alkyl nitrites" at item 2, which takes it outside the Part 2A psychoactive substance offences. Poppers are alkyl nitrites, most commonly amyl, isobutyl or isopropyl nitrite.
- Consequences if caught
- Second Schedule reach: none. The Second Schedule carries 20 rows imposing "Death" and they name exactly eight terms: opium, morphine, diamorphine, cocaine, cannabis, cannabis mixture, cannabis resin and methamphetamine. This substance is none of those eight, is not a controlled drug, and is an excluded substance for the psychoactive substance regime, so the Misuse of Drugs Act reaches it with no penalty at all, capital or otherwise. Any restriction on it comes from a different statute.
- If prescribed or medical
- Not applicable under this Act. Any control is under the separate statute that governs it.
- Documentation
- VERIFIED against the instrument. Instrument: Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 (Singapore). Sections: First Schedule (absent from all three Parts) and Fifth Schedule, Part 1, item 2. URL: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/MDA1973. The Fifth Schedule was read in full, all 17 items and the Part 2 interpretation.
- hsa.gov.sg
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, First Schedule, on Singapore Statutes Online, read as at the current version as at 16 Sep 2026
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A real question about poppers in Singapore
- Are poppers legal in Singapore?
- Not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973. Poppers are alkyl nitrites, they are not in any Part of the First Schedule, and the Fifth Schedule's Part 1 names “any alkyl nitrites” as an excluded substance, which takes them outside the psychoactive substance offences in Part 2A of that Act. That answer covers that Act only. Other Singapore law may restrict possession, sale or import, so this is not a statement that poppers are legal.
Court records
We publish verified court records for Singapore, but have not verified one involving Poppers.
Source checked eLitigation (Singapore Courts) · 2026-08-27
Poppers in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Singapore
Same substance, other countries
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Singapore’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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