Crystal Meth Impairing Fight Against AIDS
Crystal methamphetamine, which has become a popular party drug
for some members of New York City's gay community, is hindering
progress in the fight against AIDS, Reuters reported June 7.
According to city officials and AIDS activists, crystal meth has
led to an increase in unprotected intercourse. "The bottom
line is that crystal meth is a dangerous drug," said New York
City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden. "It also increases
HIV risk, and we're seeing it increasingly in New York."
Experts said drug use in the city's bathhouses, where some gay
men go for sexual encounters, creates an environment for spreading
AIDS because users suffer impaired judgment. Although drug use is
technically prohibited in bathhouses, private rooms made regulation
difficult.
AIDS activists are calling on city officials to enhance condom
distribution and implement tougher regulations for condom use in
bathhouses.
This summer, city officials plan to conduct a $300,000 program
and create a task force aimed at addressing crystal-meth use in
the gay community.
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