For years people in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender (GLBT) community have heard that drug and alcohol abuse is epidemic in the community. However, because of sampling difficulties, stigma, lack of standard definitions, and other factors, no one really knows if drug use and abuse is any more common in the GLBT community than in the population at large.

It is certain that approaching drug issues in the LGBT community requires awareness of differences from the general population. The most pressing consideration is providing appropriate and effective treatment for GLBT people who seek it. The National Association for Lesbian & Gay Addiction Professionals (NALGAP) can serve as a resource for people looking for appropriate treatment. Many LGBT community centers and AIDS service organization also provide drug counseling and referal services.

If you are a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person you may currently use drugs, you may have used them in the past, or you know someone who does. You may be presented with opportunities to use unfamiliar drugs at a weekend party. Honest, reality-based information about drugs, including party drugs, can often be hard to find.

Much has been made of the increased use of crystal methamphetamine in the gay community and how this might increase the incidence of risky sexual behavior in the gay community, thus leading to more new HIV/AIDS cases.  While there is certainly cause for concern, the Alliance advocates for a response based on science, compassion, health, and human rights.  Overreliance on law enforcement and interdiction will only exacerbate the problem.  The spread of crystal meth use should be approached as a public health matter, with law enforcement relegated to the edges of the debate.  If you use meth, please see www.tweaker.org.

The Drug Policy Alliance's guiding principal of harm reduction seeks to provide people who use drugs with the information they need to make the best decisions to keep themselves safe and healthy. We work with several organizations with these same goals. If you would like drug information that is presented in an honest and LGBT-friendly format please visit www.gayhealth.org, www.tweaker.org, or www.dancesafe.org.

Finally, the war on drugs is not a war on plants and chemicals, but a war on real people and real communities. The LGBT community is not isolated from this war. Many lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people use or have used illegal drugs. Some have a friend or relative in prison on a non-violent drug charge. Many know someone who has a problem with addiction. Some have seen how their friends suffering from AIDS finally found an appetite by smoking marijuana.

In every case prohibition has made things worse, whether it be in breeding a new generation of criminals by incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders, targeting scarce resources toward law enforcement instead of treatment, creating a dangerous unregulated black market, perpetuating useless drug education programs, or keeping an AIDS patient from his or her medicine. There are better ways for the state to address drug abuse than waging a war on its citizens. If you would like to become part of the growing movement promoting sensible alternatives to the war on drugs, please join the Alliance.