Study: 10% of
London gay men have tried crystal meth

Approximately 10% of gay men in London have used the recreational drug methamphetamine, according to a study published in the online edition of the journal Addiction. Methamphetamine use by gay men has been linked to HIV risk behaviors by researchers in the United States, and although investigators from the City University in London also found a link between use of methamphetamine and unsafe sex, they were unable to establish a causal link. Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, was recently reclassified as a Class A drug in the United Kingdom, but despite some alarmist media claims there is, in fact, very limited and conflicting evidence about the extent of its use by U.K. gay men, investigators say. Seven hundred gay men in London completed a questionnaire about their drug use and sexual behavior in the university study. (Sirius OutQ News)