REPORT: …Antidote, a specialist drugs service for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community in London, around 64 per cent of attendees seeking reported using chemsex drugs in 2013-14. Around three quarters reporting injecting drug use.
Mephedrone and crystal meth are physiological stimulants, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, as well as triggering euphoria and sexual arousal. They can also induce a feeling of instant rapport with sexual partners but psychoactive drugs can lead to mental disorders and make users less cautious.
A recent report commissioned from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) by the south London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham found around three quarters of gay men who had taken part in chemsex sessions risked passing on sexually transmitted infections and HIV.
Jamie Willis, one of the report authors from the charity London Friend said: “Traditionally chemsex, as we now understand it, has been associated with the ‘men having sex with men’ population but historically the LGBT community have been seen as early indicators of new trends.
“Speaking to colleagues in related services I have heard anecdotally that practices commonly associated with “chemsex” are present within the heterosexual mainstream population although it’s not widespread as of yet. So the simple answer to your question would be no but it does seem to be more prevalent.”
Nurse Hannah McCall from North West London NHS Foundation trust added: “In our sexual health clinic we are seeing increasing numbers of men reporting chemsex, and there is similar anecdotal reporting by both other sexual health clinics in London.
“Small-scale studies and statistics from related sources point to increasing use, but there is very little research into chemsex making it difficult to form robust conclusions on prevalence rates or population groups.
“At present I am not aware of any research into chemsex use in heterosexual communities, however like most drug trends it seems likely chemsex will not remain exclusive to men who have sex with men in future.”
