HIV & Meth Page 2

Crystal meth has become one of the leading drugs of choice in the gay men's party scene in North America. Similar to the trend in mainstream use of meth, the geographical spread of meth in the gay community has gone from west to east. In the U.S., meth use started in San Francisco and spread all the way to New York. In Canada, a similar west to east movement began in Vancouver, moved through Toronto and is now found even on the extreme east coast.

Crystal meth is the perfect drug to facilitate "party and play" (sex & drugs) activities, it's ideal for sex with multiple partners in the bath houses, and it is always present to degree at "circuit parties." Many in the gay community are calling it "the second big infection," behind HIV. The dangerous mix of crystal meth use and unprotected sex got the world's attention in February 2005, when it was revealed that a New York City man who was a frequent crystal meth user had unprotected sex with numerous other men and contracted a highly virulent strain of HIV. The virus with which he's infected is resistant to three out of the four classes of commonly used HIV drug treatments, and is so fast-acting that it progressed from initial infection to full-blown AIDS within three months.

Back in February of 2005, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said, "This case is a wake-up call. First, it's a wake up call to men who have sex with men, particularly those who may use crystal methamphetamine. Not only are we seeing syphilis and a rare sexually transmitted disease called lymphogranuloma venereum among these men, now we've identified this strain of HIV that is difficult or impossible to treat and which appears to progress rapidly to AIDS." He added, "The rapidly growing use of crystal methamphetamine in New York City continues to play a significant role in facilitating the transmission of HIV."

Meth Anonymous started in New York's gay community six years ago with one weekly meeting, attended by a half-dozen men. It now offers between 14 and 24 meetings a week, attended by anywhere from a dozen to more than 100 people.

The Callen-Lorde Community Health Centre in New York claims two-thirds of clients testing positive for HIV since June 2003 say crystal meth was a component in their becoming positive. That's what we call growth and it's being recorded in other regions as well. For example, the number of South Dakotans infected with the virus that causes AIDS (January 2006) has taken a startling jump with a 74% increase reported over last year. State health officials speculate that one factor may be the increase in intravenous methamphetamine use across the nation and in South Dakota specifically. Another cause for the increase may be the jump in the number of people who are using the internet to hook up with new sex partners.

During the 1980's, the gay community launched an awareness campaign about AIDS that ran under the banner, "Silence = Death" The point was that the subject of AIDS had to be brought out from the shadows and talked about openly if the epidemic was to be properly addressed.

And now, some 25 years later, the same thing applies to meth. If no one talks about it, if no one communicates and if it remains the dark little secret, the result will be misery and death in AND OUT of the gay community.

Hopefully, a quarter century later since the discovery of AIDS, we've at least learned that for problems to be solved, they must be first acknowledged. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Many of those in the gay community who are speaking out on the subject of methamphetamine believe that if the problem isn't addressed, it may undo all the progress that's been made to date against HIV in the gay world. And when you look at statistics like those being compiled in places like South Dakota, it's not hard to understand their position.

Meth use is also quite prevalent among gay and bisexual men already infected with HIV. And meth poses additional dangers for this group because addiction can lead to a lapse in taking medications which can lead to treatment resistance. There's also issues of weight loss and vitamin depletion. According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, meth use can also "suppress immune system responses to HIV or other infections. It can cause dangerous interactions with HIV medications, it can increase HIV viral activity, and accelerate HIV-related dementia and other health problems."