Methamphetamine Addiction and Barriers to Access Treatment Among Latino Gay Men in the U.S

METHAMPHETAMINE ADDICTION AND BARRIERS TO ACCESSING TREATMENT AMONG LATINO GAY MEN IN THE UNITED STATES.

INTRODUCTION
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that exists in many different forms and can either be smoked, snorted, injected or ingested orally. It is often referred to as Meth, Ice, Crystal and it is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol. Its effects are weakness, increase in heart rate, causes irregular heartbeat, increase in blood pressure as well as body temperature, violent behavior, insomnia, anxiety, confusion and risk for infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. MA has been classified as a schedule II drug in the U.S under the federal regulations as a result of the rates of abuse and is only available through prescription (NIDA, 2006). It is the second most widely used illicit drug among men who have sex with men in the U.S. A probability sampling report in the U.S indicates that about 13% of Adult men who have sex with men (MSM) used meth within the last 6 months (Shoptaw & Reback, 2007).
The literature on drug-using gay men has documented a strong relationship between methamphetamine (MA) use and high-risk sexual practices. Of particular concern is that MA use is associated with powerful sexual effects that may facilitate the transmission of HIV. As a group, Latino gay men show high risk for HIV infection, and such risk has been related to episodes of sex under the influence of drugs. However, little information exists about stimulant use among Latino gay men, and it is not known whether MA use in this population is similarly motivated by sexual effects. Latino gay men use stimulants for reasons that are important in their social, emotional, work, and sexual lives. Like non-Latino Whites, Latino gay men have been shown to rely on MA for reasons related to sexual enhancement, possibly to meet cultural expectations and norms of

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