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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1999)
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For more than 20 years, we’ve sold, delivered and serviced the world’s best-selling spas, HotSpring* Spas. So you can relax. Because you’re purchasing an award-winning spa from one o f the Northwests premier dealers. T housands of Consumer Digest’s Best Buy Award since 1986! Oregon H otSprfcig S pas ef ////■ i Delivery! a 30 ik H k , Owfor only) Beaverton 10367 SW Canyon Rd 643-5002 Clackamas 16112 SE 82nd Dr (S.of Hv*y 212 ) 650-8242 www.orhotspringspas.cofn BY K.H t’s s a very ironic drug,” says Alan Rose, an HIV preven A tion veteran and co-chair of tic the Gay Men’s Health Network, a budding coalition of gay men repre senting nonprofits and public health organizations from Oregon and southwest Washington. “You start out and you have a hard-on all weekend, but after prolonged use you can’t even get it up.” After a visit to Seattle for a clos er look at the culture of crystal meth, network members applied for and received a $10,000 grant to address the issue in the Portland- Vancouver metro area. The funding is administered by Washington state’s Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. So far, the grant has yielded an informational campaign featuring Sean Griffiths works for the Oregon Health Division and posters, postcards and business is involved with the Gay M en’s Health Network cards. organizations such as Seattle’s Needle and Sex In stark contrast to the usual hunk-with-a- Education Outreach Network have been look message approach, the posters, at first glance, ing at and addressing the issue of meth addiction look like a promotion for a movie or a special for at least five years. But in Portland the public event. The business cards and postcards provide discussion has remained relatively muted. resource numbers to go. Until now, that is. “We used a ‘narrow-cast’ marketing tech “This is strictly awareness building,” Rose nique, where the health messages are placed in says of the network’s campaign. “The main pur venues where the target audience socializes or pose is to let people know crystal meth is out frequents,” explains Sean Griffiths, coordinator there and a part of our community.” of community-based programs with the Oregon The campaign has the potential to alter the Health Division’s HIV/STD/TB branch. “Typi region’s meth culture. Southwest Washington cally, these messages are placed above urinals and in bathroom stalls where the individual has has long been considered by public health offi several private moments to read it.” cials to he one of the state’s most prolific methamphetamine-producing regions. Since Griffiths, who is pursuing a graduate degree much of the meth produced and sold in places in public health at the University of Washing ton, is heavily involved like Clark County is in the campaign as part consumed in Portland, The campaign has the potential of his practicum. the grant provides for “We wanted a to alter the region's meth culture. outreach on both sides unique poster that of the river. would catch the atten Southwest Washington has long been In the future, mem tion of gay and hi men bers of the health net considered by public health officials in their own social work hope to expand venues," he says. “Our to be one o f the state's most prolific the campaign to hope was that these include a group of peer methamphetamine-producing messages would chal health advocates. Men lenge the glamorization who are current or for regions. Since much o f the meth of using crystal and mer crystal meth users produced and sold in places like highlight the negative will be trained and then consequences.” given a stipend to do Clark County is consumed in There is no hard outreach in various data on the crystal meth venues— this, of course, Portland, the grant provides for situation in Portland. pending funding and outreach on both sides o f the river. official approval. “W e’ve been hear ing for years that it’s an Like the posters, the epidemic in Seattle," says Rose. “And whatev- health advocates will he grounded in harm- er’s hitting Seattle will find its way down the reduction methodology. In other words, they’ll 1-5 corridor.” meet users of crystal meth where they are on the It already has. continuum of usage, rather than focusing exclu Prior to winning the grant, members of the sively on cessation. health network were treated to a tour of Port “The advocates will be people who can speak land’s gay bars led by a team of University of about issues that someone from the health Washington researchers who were visiting Van department can’t,” says Rose. “They have credi couver. During the evening, they were trained bility.” to observe signs of crystal meth use, primarily hyperactivity. ■ For more information about the G a y M E N S I 26 Years Experience 17643 S W P il k in g t o n R d .# PHOTO Continued from the cover Fully Guaranteed C all f o r fr e e in-hom e estim ates Visit our show room M -F 8-5; Sat 10-2 699-9801 C rystal C riticism Salem 3966 Silvcrton Rd NE (just off Lancaster) 363-4000 Bend 61249 South Hwy 97 (541)388-0905 One health network member says from disc jockeys and bartenders to strippers and patrons, signs of meth were hard to miss. In other major West Coast cities— Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco, for example— H ealth N etw o rk , call (503) 244-1312 or (360) 397-8252. P a t r ic k C ollins is a Portland-based unter and frequent contributor to Just Out.
