Depressed about Prop 8

Yes, they're bad for you, yes, they're dangerous and yes, they're against the law. But there are still quite a few members of our community that engage in recreational drug use. We advise strongly against experimentation with illegal drugs, but if you are going to take drugs, there are some things you need to know.

Drugs

Cocaine "Blow", Coke, "Toot", "C", "Candy", "Charlie", "Snow" Crystal Crystal Meth, Methamphetamine, Tina Ecstasy MDMA, "E", XTC, "Adam" GHB "G" Gamma-hydroxybutyrate Ketamine Special K

Medical marijuana medicinal marijuana Mushrooms magic mushrooms, shrooms, psilocybin Recreational marijuana pot, hashish, weed, herb, grass, reefer, chronic, joint, skunk, Mary Jane, ganja, doobie

Articles

Alcohol Awareness Month: Do You Drink Too Much?
Find out if your drinking is out of control.

FDA Approves Once-Daily HIV Drug
Once-daily Kaletra will offer patients and physicians more flexibility

Blame it on Viagra!
Researchers fault Viagra for drug use, unsafe sex

GLMA to study meth treatments
Healthcare services company bestows grant

Meth treatment admissions on the rise
A new report says the increase is nationwide

GLMA decries AP meth report
Recent positive trends in meth use are innacurate, says GLMA

Drugs
Beyond the flashy headlines, the debate over drug and alcohol use by lesbians and gay men is more complicated than you might think.

Gay Men Mix Ecstasy with Unprotected Anal Sex
In a small pilot study conducted in New York City dance clubs, researchers link ecstasy with high-risk sexual practices.

Impotence Drug Application Goes Limp
Spurred on by concerns over safety, the makers of Uprima withdrew their application for FDA approval.

Glaxo Issues More Serious Warning for Ziagen
Prescribing physicians and patients taking the Glaxo Wellcome drug Ziagen are encouraged to read the new warning on the package insert.

High School Students Light Up Less
Smoking rates appear to be decreasing among some teens in the United States, but the recommended prevention programs are not being implemented in most schools.

FDA Approves New Use for Existing Breast Cancer Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on September 4th approved the drug, Arimidex (anastrozole), for treatment of newly diagnosed, advanced cases of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Bottled Up: The HIV Treatment Challenge
If you think taking anti-HIV medications is as easy as popping a daily vitamin, think again.

FDA Approves New Combination Antiviral
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration pushed Abbott Laboratories' new protease inhibitor, Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), through its approval process, assigning the drug an accelerated approval status on September 15th.

FDA: Antibiotic Labels Should Warn of Drug-resistance
Doctors who over-prescribe antibiotics and patients who don’t take them as directed have contributed to a dramatic rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections. In response, the FDA proposed stronger labeling for antibiotics intended for human use.

Gonorrhea Becoming More Resistant to Treatment
New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that strains of gonorrhea found in Hawaii and Missouri have become more resistant to treatment with antibiotics.

Club Drugs and Sex: You Might Drop More Than E
Popular club drugs are taking a toll on young gay men throughout the country. A recent rise in nationwide emergency room overdoses prompted the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to call for more research to find a solution, and that’s just what’s starting to happen.

Ecstasy Laced with Stimulants Kills Six
A new derivative of the popular club drug, Ecstasy, is blamed for the death of six people in Florida since July.

Smoking Causes Depression in Teens
Are you feeling depressed? A new study indicates that cigarette use increases your chances of developing depression.

Chemical in Sunscreen May Be Toxic to Human Cells
Scientists in Norway warn the chemical, octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), may kill human cells if it seeps into the bloodstream.

Bill Would Target Illegal Net Pharmacies
Lawmakers introduced a bill in the US Senate that would pose tough penalties on Internet pharmacies that illegally sell prescription drugs to US consumers.

Cold Medicines, Appetite Suppressants Pulled From Shelves
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that a chemical in many over-the-counter and prescription cold and cough medicines and appetite suppressants could cause hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain.

The Incredible Bulk: Understanding Steroid Use
Steroids can become an obsession for some gay men -- and there are potential health risks involved.

Man Arrested for Smuggling Steroids Is A Real Pill
A man was arrested at San Francisco International Airport for allegedly taping 14,000 steroid pills to his body in an attempt to smuggle them through customs.

A Menacing Mixture: Club Drugs and HIV Meds
Feeling better with HIV sometimes means hitting the clubs and living the high life with your friends. But the dangers associated with mixing your HIV meds with drugs like ecstasy and ketamine could be greater than you think.

Stress and the City
Depression and anxiety may become worse for those who turn to alcohol and drugs during a crisis.

Gay Smoke Out Fans Anti-Smoking Flame
The organizers of today’s Fourth Annual Gay American Smoke Out in Seattle, Washington want you to just say no to cigarettes -- or help a friend to quit.

Lesbian Cancer Organization Continues Fight Against Smoking
The Mary-Helen Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer participated in the first National GLBT Forum on Tobacco Prevention and Control.

FDA Approves Triple-Combo Antiretroviral Drug
Trizivir received accelerated FDA approval on November 15th.

Booze and Sex: A Real Downer
"I don’t have a drinking problem. I hit the bars a few times a week and have two or three drinks. What’s wrong with that?"

Chicken Eggs Used to Fight Cancer
The Scottish researchers who cloned Dolly the Sheep have found a way to genetically alter chicken eggs for use in the fight against cancer.

Queer As Folk Serves Deadly Mix of Sex and Drugs
Drugs and sex made for serious drama on the second episode of the Showtime evening soap, Queer as Folk.

Aspirin Anyone?
Though aspirin is not a panacea, taking low doses of it can help reduce the risk of heart attack in certain groups of people.

Competition To Viagra Coming Your Way
An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended approval of another drug to treat erectile dysfunction.

FDA Warns of Stolen, Dangerous Goat Serum for HIV
A safety alert was issued by the FDA to warn physicians and patients about the illegal sale of a dangerous batch of goat serum, which is a potential treatment for HIV and AIDS.

EU Approves Triple Combo HIV Drug
The European Union approved the use of the antiretroviral drug, Trizivir, for the treatment of adults with HIV infection.

Canadian Company Gets Popped for Selling Poppers
A Canadian company is under investigation for allegedly marketing the club drug "poppers" to consumers via the Internet.

ALERT: FDA Warns of Counterfeit AIDS Wasting Drug
People taking AIDS wasting medication, physicians and pharmacists should check their stock of Serostim (somatropin 6 mg. for injection), an AIDS wasting drug, to be sure it’s not counterfeit.

Avoiding Dangerous Drug Interactions
Don't expect others to keep you up-to-date about possible drug, food and herb interactions.

Alcohol May Damage Brain Functions of Young
Drinking alcohol during your development may be more damaging than you think.

QUEER AS FOLK: Mixing Cocaine and Valium
Mixing cocaine and Valium is common, but is it safe?

Popping V for Better Safer Sex
When keeping up is hard to do.

One in Four on Weight Loss Drugs Not Overweight
Results of a new survey suggest 25 percent of those on diet medications are not significantly overweight.

FDA Approves Once-A-Week Prozac Treatment
Prozac Weekly is approved for patients whose symptoms of depression have stabilized but who need ongoing treatment.

Drug Addiction: One Man’s Story
A young man reflects on the allure of drugs and alcohol -- and how he got hooked.

Methamphetamine Causes Brain Damage
Methamphetamine ("speed") can cause brain damage that results in slower motor and cognitive functioning -- even in users who take the drug for less than a year.

Peers’ Influence Major Factor in Teen Drug Abuse
When it comes to deciding whether or not to use drugs, young people are strongly influenced by the attitudes and behavior of their friends.

Intervention Curbs Risky Behavior of HIV-Infected Youth
"Our finding prove that kids can and do change a lot."

New Study Shows Hormones Don’t Increase Strength in Men with HIV
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine find exercise, not hormones, key to gaining muscle strength and body mass.

Smoking Causes Skin to Age Prematurely
Think smoking makes you look sexy? The truth is, it may make you look old before your time.

Gov’t Blames Tobacco Ads for Smoking-Related Deaths in Women
Twice as many women die from smoking-related causes today than in 1965, and the aggressive marketing tactics of tobacco companies are to blame.

EU Approves New Protease Inhibitor
The European Commission approved the use of the protease inhibitor, Kaletra, for the treatment of HIV-infected adults and children over two years old.

Prescription Drug Abuse on the Rise
Over four million Americans may be abusing medications prescribed to them by a physician.

Smoking Rates Put Lesbians at Greater Risk for Cancer
The Mautner Project for Lesbians and Cancer urges health organizations to focus on women who partner with women.

FDA to AIDS Drug Makers: Change "Misleading" Ads
On April 27, the FDA gave manufacturers of AIDS medications 90 days to change their direct-to-consumer advertising to more accurately reflect the limitations of their drugs.

Medical Marijuana is Illegal, Rules U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to advocates of medical marijuana on May 14, ruling that ill patients are no exception to a federal law that makes marijuana illegal.

Heroin Use Triples in Suburban and Rural New Jersey
Throughout the 1990’s, heroin use among suburban and rural residents of New Jersey tripled, while use among city-dwellers dropped in half.

Viagra Improves Sexual Function in Women, Study Says
"Sildenafil may directly improve female arousal disorder," say researchers from the University of Catania in Italy.

Drug Use Puts Circuit Party Attendees at Risk for HIV
Rampant drug use and risky sex are commonplace at circuit parties, according to a new study.

QUEER AS FOLK: Blake Cannot Do It Alone
"Many people with serious addictions require a stint in a facility that specializes in addiction."

Gov’t Gets Tough on Sites that Sell Misleading Health Products
The FDA and FTC will work together more closely to target and close down Web sites that market fraudulent health products.

Canada to License Growers of Medical Marijuana
The Canadian government is poised to pass legislation that would allow it to license marijuana growers by the end of July.

Higher Beer Tax Reduces Teen STD Rates
New CDC study finds higher tax on beer reduces STD rates among teens and young adults.

New Erectile Dysfunction Drug Approved in Europe
The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) approved Abbott Laboratories' erectile dysfunction drug, Uprima, for marketing in the European Union.

Agouron Pulls Funding for AIDS Vaccine
Agouron Pharmaceuticals will no longer provide funding to the Immune Response Corporation to develop the AIDS vaccine, Remune.

Cocaine Craving Gets Worse Over Time
A study of laboratory rats has revealed that the craving for cocaine gets progressively stronger in the coming days and months after cocaine use has been stopped.

Drug Companies Spend More on Marketing than Research, Report Charges
Last year, large pharmaceutical companies spent around twice as much money on marketing, advertising and administration than they did on the research and development of new drugs, according to a new report.

Ecstasy's Harmful Effects Are Often Underestimated
The club drug, ecstasy, is far more dangerous than many people realize, according to researchers who attended a National Institutes of Health (NIH) conference on July 19 and 20.

Generic Prozac Coming Soon
On August 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave several drug makers the go-ahead to market generic forms of the popular antidepressant, Prozac.

BOOK REVIEW: Liquid Lover
"Okay. I admit it. I miss being high," writes John Moriarty, a recovering alcoholic and author of Liquid Lover(Alyson Books), a raw and heartfelt account of one man's battle against the bottle.

Online Sales of Herbal "Viagra" Come Under Scrutiny
If you've ever searched the Web for herbal remedies for impotence, chances are you've come across sites that litter their products with outlandish claims.

Drug Users More Likely to Report Gay Sex in College
College drug use is declining, according to a recent study.

Smoking May Have Anti-Depressant Effect on the Brain
Chronic cigarette smoking may affect the brain in a similar way that antidepressant medications do, Reuters Healthreported on September 18.

Health Officials Educate Communities About Addiction
September marks the 12th annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, sponsored by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Viagra May Help People with Pulmonary Hypertension
Viagra (Sildenafil citrate), manufactured by Pfizer Labs, is best known for helping men get and maintain erections.

Memory Loss from Ecstasy May Be Lasting
Ever hear someone quip that their memory loss is the result of too much fun in college?

New HIV Drug Approved by the FDA
Viread, marketed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. of Foster City, CA, is the first of a new class of antiviral medications called nucleotide analogs, which are similar to nucleoside analogs.

Study: Viagra Users More Likely to Have Unsafe Sex
Viagra and risky sex connected, researchers say

Surviving the Holidays Sober
Getting through the holidays sober -- or at least not wasted -- can be a difficult task for some.

Drug Use and Risky Sex Common Among MSM at Circuit Parties
Mixing illegal drugs with Viagra (sildenafil) and unsafe sex makes for dangerous partying and gay men are more likely to do all three during circuit parties (CPs), according to a recent study.

Protease Inhibitor in Development for Treating Hepatitis C
Phase I clinical trials are expected to begin in early 2003.

Cream for Erectile Dysfunction Approved in Hong Kong
A cream for erectile dysfunction (ED) was approved for distribution in Hong Kong, the developer NexMed, Inc. announced on April 23.

STUDY: Booze Makes People Seem More Sexually Attractive
Have you ever woken up in a bed with a stranger only to wonder what you were thinking?

All about ART
HIV meds are stronger and more effective than ever, and better yet—there's less of them to take

NYC Forum to Focus on HIV Medications and Clubs Drugs
If you like to party, are HIV-positive and live in New York City, you don’t want to miss the community forum being held at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities.

Wrong Drug Tested in Ecstasy Study
The widely reported study that found that use of ecstasy -- even a single time -- can cause permanent brain damage and Parkinson's Disease, has been retracted by researchers and the editors of the journal Science because of a grave error.

Men With Blocked Arteries Take Viagra to Heart, Without Side Effects
Though findings are encouraging, researchers did not address Viagra-related heart attack and death from drug interactions and sexual activity.

Viagra Does Not Cause Prostate Cancer to Grow and Spread
A new animal study of Viagra eases concerns about whether the medication causes prostate cancer to spread and grow.

Study: Drug Use Common Among Young Gay and Bisexual Men
Drug use is especially common among young men who have sex with men (MSM), according to a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Booze May Decrease Brain Size
Is low or moderate alcohol consumption healthy or damaging?

Health Advisory Issued Over Use of St. John's Wort with HIV Meds
New concerns are raised about the safety of taking untested and unregulated herbal supplements with HIV medications following the release of a National Institutes of Health study on the effect of St. John's wort.

Drink Too Much? Can't Kick Drugs? Find Out Where to Get Help
There is LGBT-friendly help available.

Loosening Tina’s Grip: Tips for Combating Crystal Cravings
It's not easy, but these tips might help you.

FDA Approves Two Once-Daily Combination HIV Drugs
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two new combination HIV medications.

Viagra Sold Online Not Always Legit
Up to half of all Viagra sold on Web sites might be counterfeit.

Party Too Hardy? Dangerous Drug Combos
If you're using drugs when you go hit the clubs at night, you may be putting your health at risk -- maybe even your life.

Study: Ecstasy and Cocaine Users More Likely to Take Recreational Viagra
Men who take ecstasy and cocaine are more likely than non-drug users to take the erectile dysfunction medication Viagra without a prescription, according to a recent study.

Hawaii Approves Medical Marijuana Bill
The move makes Hawaii the first state to approve medical marijuana use through legislation.