Meth Kills

A substantial body of data now confirms that sexual risk behaviors among gay and bisexual men have significantly increased over the last several years, in part due to the sexual disinhibitions associated with crystal use. In New York City, syphilis rates have doubled each of the last three years, with men who have sex with men accounting for virtually all of the increase in cases. Investigation by City health authorities indicate that a syphilis diagnosis is strongly associated with Crystal Meth use, HIV seropositivity, and having sex in a bathhouse, at a sex party, or via an Internet connection.

Meth is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. The effects of meth include increased activity, decreased appetite, and a sense of well being that can last from 20 minutes to 12 hours. The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.

Researchers found that meth users with advanced HIV infection had evidence of a specific type of brain damage not usually seen in HIV-infected patients with HAD: the loss of a specific group of neurons and an increase in the number of glial cells.

Seizures of clandestine meth labs in the Midwest increased. With an estimated 35 million users, meth is the second most popular illegal substance in the world. Here in the United States, the epidemic grew in the last few years, moving eastward, from Hawaii to the West Coast, through the Midwest, and is now putting down roots in Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Miami and New York.