CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
San Francisco health officials are warning gay men that the rate of HIV infection is high among those using crystal methamphetamine, also known as speed, on the club circuit. Some city health professionals have concluded that rampant use of the drug among gay men is fueling behavior that leads to the spread of HIV. "We have all sorts of levels of evidence," said Jeffrey Klausner, MD, of San Francisco's Department of Public Health, "and it's all pointing in the same direction: The crystal meth epidemic is playing an important role in increasing sexual risk behaviors, and that is leading to new HIV and STD infections." The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that health experts estimate that up to 40% of gay men in San Francisco have used crystal meth. And a city health department study conducted last year also found that 25%-30% of patients at one local clinic who were newly infected with HIV reported having used crystal meth during the previous six months. San Francisco officials are planning a televised City Hall discussion Wednesday on meth use. A meeting was held last month in Sacramento at which some of the state's top AIDS and HIV prevention officials in the state came to a dismal conclusion: Gay men in California who use meth are twice as likely to be HIV-positive than those who don't use meth. The reasons for the increase in the drug's use haven't shocked those who follow its use. It's cheap, costing users as little as $30 to get high for several days. Meth is also easy to get in most large cities. Some health professionals who monitor the health and lifestyles of gay men said that crystal meth fits like a glove with the fast-paced party life of many gays. "It's the perfect drug for gay men," said Michael Siever, director of the Stonewall Project, a speed recovery program for gay men at the University of California, San Francisco. "What else allows you to party all night long whether you're dancing or having sex?... At least at first--before it becomes a problem." In California one study showed that among the gay and bisexual men tested in 2001 and 2002 at publicly funded clinics, 7.1% of meth users were HIV-positive, compared with 3.7% of those who didn't use meth. Tests of the 63,098 gay and bisexual men showed that 10.5%, or 6,637 men, reported meth use. Researchers also found that condom use was lower among gay men who use speed.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Joe Biden sends queer lawmakers & LGBTQ+ allies to Paris Olympics
July 24 2024 12:08 PM
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM