Sir, – The Gay Health Network (GHN) welcomes the National Drug Strategy, the first of its kind to specifically mention the need for targeted harm-reduction, education and prevention measures that are tailored towards the LGBTI community.
The strategy includes an action point for the need to provide addiction supports in non-traditional settings with particular reference to chemsex. GHN hopes this signals a widening of resource provision for services attempting to bridge the gap between sexual, mental and addiction health.
In addition, GHN also welcomes the commitment to strengthen early-harm reduction responses to current and emerging trends and patterns of drug use. Specific reference is made to the GHB/GBL harm-reduction campaign, a joint partnership of GHN, GMHS, Drugs.ie, HIV Ireland & Gay Switchboard Ireland as an example of successfully highlighting drug-use patterns and issues among high-risk groups.
GHN is pleased to see chemsex included as a topic for consideration as part of a working group examining the evidence base for early-harm reduction responses to current and emerging trends. The establishment of the working group is also a strategic action to be achieved between 2017 and 2020. – Yours, etc,
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ADAM SHANLEY,
Gay Health
Network Member,
Dublin 1.