PARTY RESPONSIBLY
The shit out there is dirty folks. People we know and love are straight up dying. That’s no joke
BY PAULO MURILLO
“Bitch, you’re so old, your meth didn’t even have Fentanyl in it,” joked someone I know who was distributing free fentanyl test strips in West Hollywood’s LGBT Rainbow District during St Patrick’s Day weekend. The outreach was an effort to advocate harm reduction during drug use by encouraging would-be tweakers to pause and take a moment to test their shit to make sure it was fentanyl-free because, let’s face it, a lot of the shit out there is dirty in 2023.
The joke wasn’t directed at me personally, but my ass had to concur: I don’t recall my meth ever having fentanyl in it when I was using in the mid-90s to mid-2000s, so I guess it’s true:
I’m so old, the last time I did meth was over 16 years ago; I’m so old, there was no such thing as harm reduction or partying responsibly when I was going through it on a mean crystal meth run; I’m so old, I didn’t know anyone who had died of a drug overdose in my early years of PNP; I’m so old, that after over a decade-and-half of clean and sober time, I’ve seen some shit, and sadly, I know a long list of young individuals who have died, either from an accidental drug overdose or by suicide—a lot of them linked to addiction and mental health issues.
The AHF HIV testing van in West Hollywood is now handing out free Narcan and fentanyl test strips every night on the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards.
A report by the LA County Health Department released in November 2022, states that in 2021, methamphetamine and fentanyl were the most common drug types listed as a cause of death in accidental drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County, accounting for 56% and 55%, respectively, of all alcohol and other drug overdose deaths. While methamphetamine is a significant contributor to accidental drug overdoses, there are also unique risks associated with one-time fentanyl exposure—however, interventions such as naloxone are available to address fentanyl overdoses (unfortunately, interventions don’t currently exist for methamphetamine).
I’m glad the fentanyl test strips are out there, but when I think about addiction in its raw and most desperate form, I wonder if addicts will actually take the time to test their shit before leaning into a mirror for a hit. I wonder if it’s possible to party responsibly when you’re going through it and you have zero sense of responsibility for yourself or anyone around you.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation is banking on the test strips saving lives. The AHF HIV testing van in West Hollywood is now handing out free Narcan and fentanyl test strips every night on the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards. Now you can get HIV tested, get free PrEP, and pick up kits to save a life on your way to Micky’s in the Rainbow District.
I reckon I’m lucky to be so old. The shit out there is dirty folks. People we know and love are straight up dying. That’s no joke.
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