Pubdate: Mon, 07 Jul 2008
Source: Daily Gazette (NY)
Copyright: 2008 The Daily Gazette Co.
Contact: http://www.dailygazette.com/op_letter/
Website: http://www.dailygazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/105
Author: Sara Foss
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW CAMPAIGN AIMS CRYSTAL METH WARNINGS AT AREA GAY COMMUNITY

CAPITAL REGION -- An aggressive new campaign seeks to educate Capital 
Region residents -- and gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered 
people, in particular -- about the dangers of crystal meth.

A new website, www.crystalfree.org, provides information on crystal 
meth and where to seek treatment for an addiction. Billboards on the 
campaign were displayed for over a month in Albany, Troy, 
Schenectady, Montgomery and Saratoga counties, and another round is 
scheduled to go up in late July. Advertisements have also run in 
local newspapers, and a brochure on the risks of crystal meth has been created.

The campaign, called Crystal Free, is being coordinated by the 
Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council in Albany and In 
Our Own Voices, an Albany-based group that promotes the health and 
well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people of 
color. The Web site, members of both groups said, allows the campaign 
to reach people who live in more rural areas. "One of the things 
about crystal meth is that it's underground," said Nora Yates, the 
executive director of the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community 
Council. "We're trying to raise the idea that there is a crystal meth problem."

"The message," Yates said, "is that people can be crystal free."

Crystal meth, or methamphetamine, is a highly addictive stimulant 
that is also known as crank, speed and ice. It is made by combining 
the chemical pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medicines 
such as Sudafed, and household chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia 
and lantern fuel.

The prevention campaign is funded through a grant from the New York 
State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. In 
2005-2006, the state budgeted $300,000 for cystal meth prevention; 
last year it budgeted $800,000.

"Meth is not as prevalent in New York state as heroin or crack," said 
Dianne Henk, a spokeswoman for the New York State Office of 
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. "But it is a very dangerous 
drug, and it's very difficult to control." Crystal meth is often made 
in dangerous "meth labs" in houses, trailers, barns and motel rooms; 
these labs can be volatile and toxic, and present a public health 
hazard that makes reducing the demand for meth all the more 
important, she said.

"It's very important for the public to understand the risks 
associated with meth use," Henk said.

Gay and lesbian community agencies are closely connected to the 
communities they serve, which is why the Capital District Gay and 
Lesbian Community Council and In Our Own Voices were selected to 
oversee the crystal meth prevention campaign, Yates said. At the 
Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council, meth prevention 
is already integrated into programs and workshops on safe sex and 
substance abuse, she said.

The Crystal Free website describes crystal meth as "one of the 
leading drug addictions within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgendered and queer community," and says that the Capital 
District Gay and Lesbian Community Council and In Our Own Voices 
"have come together in an effort to keep our community crystal free." 
The website contains a history of the drug, contact information for 
local recovery programs and tips on how to reduce the harmful effects 
of getting high on crystal meth, such as drinking water to avoid dehydration.

Crytal meth has penetrated all demographics, but "It has definitely 
permeated a young gay male demographic," Yates said. "That's one of 
the groups we're targeting." Young people of color, she said, are 
also using crystal meth at a higher rate than the population.

Jasan M. Ward, outreach specialist for In Our Own Voices, made 
similar observations. "Being a young, gay male myself, I've had 
friends who have been involved with crystal meth," he said. "I know 
from friends and hearing things that meth is being used in the 
Capital Region." In bigger cities, such as San Francisco and New York 
City, meth use in the LGBT community has reached epidemic 
proportions. "We're hopeful that it won't get as bad here," he said.

People in rural and urban areas have used crystal meth, but people in 
rural areas may not have the same access to treatment services as 
people who live in cities, and they may not be as aware of the 
dangers of crystal meth, Yates said.

Younger people, Ward said, try meth "because they hear about what it 
can do, in terms of making you feel like you can do whatever you 
want." One downside, he said, is that meth is physically destructive, 
and can cause weight loss and rashes, among other things. "When you 
use crystal meth, you're more likely to have multiple partners and 
engage in unsafe sex," Ward said.

In recent years, experts on AIDS have suggested there is a 
correlation between an uptick in HIV infections among young gay men 
and higher rates of crystal meth use. The drug causes people to lose 
their inhibitions, which makes them more likely to engage in unsafe 
sex and risky drug and alcohol use.

For more information on crystal meth, call 462-6238 or 432-4188.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom