adata 17.2003
IS THE PARTY UFE ALL
ITS CRACKED UP TO BE?
To date this year, Mult
nomah County reports 31
new cases of syphilis, 23 of
which are among MSM. Of
these, eight are known to be
HIV-positive, as well. Mult
nomah County minces no
words and calls this a
“syphilis epidemic."
“1 probably would not
have been unsafe if I was
n ’t high," says meth user
Wade. “Meth was the rea
son the experience hap
pened. It took away my
eth does some rotten things to the body.
inhibitions and allowed
Its worst effect is to damage the brain’s
me to engage in unsafe sex
K ä neurotransmitters. This damage can
because getting laid was
heal a little if using stops, but recent studies
more important than the
have shown that that may not be enough to
consequences.”
make up for natural losses in those neurotrans
Area health organiza
mitters that come with the normal aging
tions are fighting
process. Long-term use affects the user’s skin,
meth with all their
producing pock marks
resources. Outside
and “crank bugs,” which
In, for instance,
come from an itchy feel
works with at-risk
Astronauts
ing just under the skin
youth to get them
and tweakers
that causes users to
into
treatment.
can get
scratch until they bleed.
Recognizing that
many people will
Meth also constricts the
pretty thirsty! y
blood supply to the
use no matter
Tivrt's wMy it's so important to
drink
lots
ol
Tang
txdoc«
any
teeth and gums, causing
what, counselors
mission or omission
teach harm reduc
nasty oral health prob
lems. Studies show that
tion—tactics to
long-term meth use can
reduce as much as
adversely affect the
possible the harm
ful effects of meth.
heart, lungs, liver, kid
neys and digestive sys
SitTtple
things,
tem. It can cause dehy
such as staying well
ïxtt4 sfi m fítm ttím « I
dration and malnutri
hydrated.
tion just by keeping
Staff and volun
people up and partying
teers at CAP hand
out posters and
for days on end. Long
brochures. They do
term users often end up
Ads from Seattle’s CrystalNeon.org Amphetazine publication (left and top left) use humor
with high levels of para
one-on-one out
to promote harm reduction, while posters from San Francisco’s Tweaker.org (top right)
reach, individual
noia and psychosis.
and Washington County Sheriff’s Office (above) take a more daunting approach
coaxing
and coach
The most ravaging
effects of meth use in the sexual minorities com University of Washington’s Northwest AIDS and-play). It started with tweaking and forget- ing. They also teach harm reduction to meth
munity, however, may not he the physical effects Education and Training Center, reports that a ting a condom and, ‘Oh well, stick it in any users. Recently, Multnomah County awarded a
of the dnig itself.
staggering 47 percent of MSM meth injectors in way.’ But now it’s almost expected in party- contract to CAP to build and distribute a major
“Crystal meth is the biggest problem that Seattle/King County are HIV-positive. “This is and-play. It’s expected that if you party and meth campaign including posters, brcx:hures and
gay men in Portland face,” says Knowlton. “It’s the highest HIV prevalence in Washington you’re tweaking, you will have bareback [no a 'zine. The message isn’t lost on Knowlton. He
says, “It shows how bad the meth problem is in
most certainly the cause of our spiked HIV and state,” he says. “This rate is two times the rate of condom] sex."
In Portland’s MSM community, syphilis rates Portland that the county is willing to shell out
STD rates, as well as a link in the chain MSM who do not shoot meth, and it’s 12 to 16
regarding the renewed popularity of bathhous- times the rate of Seattle/King County hetero- are through the rcxif. The Multnomah County this money in these economic times.”
es, public sex and Internet hookups— the sexual drug injectors." And in case you think Health Department reports that 18 of 2002’s 38
eth also happens to be one of the hardest
whole party-and-play thing, being high all you’re safe because you don’t inject, Carroll new syphilis cases were among MSM. Of these,
drugs to kick and one of the easiest on
weekend and just looking for as many sex part reminds, “The primary route of HIV transmis- 50 percent were also HIV-positive, 90 percent
which to grow psychologically dependent.
ners as you can have.”
sion in these cases is sexual.”
were older than 30, and 100 percent reported
And here statistics prove it.
“Just log onto a chat room," Knowlton meeting partners via the Internet, bathhouses,
Continued on Page 30
Robert Carroll, education coordinator for says. “Read all the lines about PNP [party- bars or adult bookstores.
around five to eight years for a Class B felony
and three to five years for a Class C. Sentenc
ing varies according to extenuating circum
stances, which could lengthen or shorten the
sentence, especially for cases in which chil
dren are involved.
Many felons don’t serve their entire sen
tence because of Oregon’s budget crisis. The
Portland Police Bureau admits it doesn’t
have the manpower to go after users. Instead,
it focuses its limited resources on meth sales
and distribution. And even here budget cuts
don’t allow overtime investigative hours or
needed equipment.
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