Pubdate: Thu, 13 Apr 2006
Source: Capital Xtra! (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 Pink Triangle Press
Contact:  http://www.xtra.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2153
Author: Krishna Rau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

QUEER TEENS MORE LIKELY TO USE CRYSTAL

School Based Prevention Campaigns Ineffective

A recent study of British Columbia teens says gay, lesbian and 
bisexual students, especially girls, are 17 times more likely to use 
crystal methamphetamine and other club drugs.

The study, released in the February issue of the BC Medical Journal, 
is one of the first such research projects to include questions about 
sexual identity and about the use of specific drugs like ecstacy, 
ketamine, GHB and meth.

The study showed that few high school students had used any of the 
drugs. Of 607 students polled, only 81, or about 14 percent, reported 
previous use. Only five percent had ever used meth, and only five 
individual students had used meth during the previous month.

Thomas Lampinen, a clinical assistant professor of epidemiology at 
the University Of Bristish Columbia and one of the three researchers 
on the study, says the study shows queer kids are more likely to try 
club drugs.

"If you want to target substance abuse issues in kids, you target gay 
kids. The data says gay kids are at increased risk."

Lampinen says the there was a lack of research around sexual identity 
and teen drug use, and other studies had not looked closely at club drugs.

"The literature linking sexual orientation and coming out to drug 
use, it's really sparse. We're certainly talking less than two dozen 
studies. And even less on club drug use among gay kids."

The study, which Lampinen calls a "quick and dirty" pilot project, 
gave confidential questionnaires to 607 high school students in 
Vancouver and Victoria in 2003. Of those, 2.5 percent, or 15 
students, identified themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual -- most 
of them bisexual girls. Lampinen says those figures are mostly likely 
low, due to sexual uncertainty or a reluctance among teens to admit 
to not being straight.

"I don't think any of us really believe there were only two [gay or 
bisexual] boys."

The conclusion calls for further research into elevated risk of 
substance abuse among bisexual girls and women.

"It remains unclear whether these elevated risks reflect early 
contact with social networks with higher prevalence of substance use 
or predisposition to substance use owing to problems with early 
self-identification as gay or bi-sexual," states the study.

The study suggests caution about a BC government strategy announced 
last September that will spend $3 million this year on an anti-meth 
public awareness campaign, including $1 million on school-based 
initiatives. Schools might not be the ideal venue, says the study, 
citing a 2004 western Canada summit on meth use.

"While some strategies can effectively reduce drug use among 
adolescents, it is well established that most school-based drug use 
prevention programs, including fear-based campaigns, are ineffective 
and poorly implemented," reported the summit.

Lampinen says that his study agrees that targeting meth use alone may 
not be effective. He says of those students reporting meth use, every 
user but one also used at least alcohol and marijuana.

"There's no such thing as just a crystal meth user. They're using other drugs."

Lampinen also says the study suggests that many teen meth users may 
have dropped out of high school.

"Our survey results show that less than one percent reported using 
crystal meth during the previous month. Schools don't seem to be 
places where you encounter regular users of meth."

But he says that the campaign in schools may serve to keep some 
students from starting to use meth. The study results are published 
in the current issue of the BC Medical Journal, available at: www.bcma.org
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman