New York fights meth use among black and Latino gay men

“While crystal meth use was at one time largely confined to New York City’s gay white male population, use of the drug has spread to African-American and Latino gay men in the city, groups already at high risk for HIV infection, The New York Times reports. A recent New York University study of meth users showed 32% were white, 23% were Latino, and 22% were African-American. At New York City’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis, about 10% of members of a support group for meth users are African-American, up from just 2% in 2001.

The rise in meth use among minority gay men has health officials worried. HIV already disproportionately affects African-Americans; studies have shown nearly half of urban gay black men are HIV-positive. And with other research showing that meth users are up to three times more likely to be infected with HIV than nonusers, health officials are worried that HIV rates are going to skyrocket among gay Latino and African-American men who use the drug.”

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