PREMIER: BC NOT IGNORING GAY METH USERS

Responding to a report that gay men are among the highest risk groups
for crystal meth use in Vancouver, Premier Gordon Campbell insisted
his government is not ignoring the gay community in its effort to
combat rising meth use in the city.

"There's a number of programs that I know are aimed at the gay
community," he told Xtra West May 28. "We're trying to deal with
health for everybody. We're going to continue to work at that, and I
would encourage--if the gay community feels there are shortcomings
and gaps--they should let the Minister of Health know.

"We want to reach into the adult community and the gay and the
straight communities to make sure that they understand what the
dangers of meth are," Campbell continued. "We're glad to work with
any community group that wants to make sure that people understand
how really devastating that drug is."

To date, the BC government's funding for crystal meth programs has
focused primarily on youth. In March, it announced $8 million for
programs specifically dedicated to young users.

No such spending has been targeted to the gay community.

Currently, Three Bridges Community Health Centre offers gay and
lesbian-specific days for addictions and primary care, and Vancouver
Coastal Health (VCH) offers indirect funding for some services for
gay substance abusers.

Gayway also receives funding through a $1.7 million grant VCH gives
to AIDS Vancouver, which is also used to fund Boys R Us, a support
group for male prostitutes, and Taking It Deep, a support group for
gay substance abusers.

Although none of these programs deal with meth specifically, Al
Zwiers, who coordinates Taking It Deep, maintains that the group can
be helpful to meth users too. "The underlying issues of substance
abuse, whether it's crystal meth or alcohol or pot, are very much the
same," he says.

Asked what the government is doing specifically for adult gay men
using meth, Sarah Plank, a spokesperson for the BC Ministry of
Health, points to services available to adults in general. "Of just
over 1,000 addiction-management beds in the province, 880 are for
adults," she says.