They think Meth is a Myth in Ohio.

In an ever-changing society where people continue to self medicate themselves, we are now learning about the dangers of Crystal Meth. It has become the US's second most used illegal drug, right after marijuana. Celebrities like Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas are publicly acknowledging their past addictions to the drug. 1 in 7 Gay men try the drug every year.

Yesterday I attended a very informative workshop on Crystal Meth and HIV. I have done much research on Meth, but this workshop was particularly interesting because it really broke down the connection between Meth usage and HIV.

A bottom line used by speaker, Chris Lacharte, was that sex while under the influence of drugs, is so much riskier when the intention of the drug use in the first place, is to have sex while on them. This brings to mind many of the men I am testing weekly at Club Cleveland, the local bathhouse. When the power of sex is mixed with the high of drugs, it can be one of the riskiest scenarios for an MSM.

In viewing the speakers' statistics and looking at a geographical view of Meth usage in the United States, I was quite shocked to see there were only 2 states in the entire country that had not reported on Crystal Meth usage among state residents. Guess what? One of those 2 states was indeed Ohio.

I sat grinding my teeth when hearing about the other states and how they were addressing the issue and creating Meth Task Forces and recovery programs. I also sat there in disbelief staring at the only 2 non-reported states, one of which was Ohio, my home, and a place where I attended many parties in Cleveland and Columbus where Crystal Meth was free flowing. Ohio is also a state where I lost many friends to the addictive, destructive drug and saw 4 well-known community Meth dealers go to prison.

I keep hearing about an inclusive study Kent State University is doing on Meth use in Ohio. Once these numbers can be reported, people will see Ohio has a Meth problem to deal with as well and we won't be a blank state at a national conference. Most importantly, help can be set up for those Ohioans who want to stop, but can't. Hopefully recovery can be considered as an option, before this drug epidemic leads to more unfortunate HIV infections in our Ohio MSM community.

-Don
Don Hill, ManHealth Coodinator