Chicago launches campaign targeting meth use in gay population

CHICAGO – Mayor Richard Daley launched a campaign Thursday against methamphetamine use in the city, with a particular focus on Chicago’s gay population, where authorities say it is an increasing problem.

The police and health departments, social service providers, medical personnel and leaders of the gay community will be involved in the campaign, Daley said.

Use of the drug has spread in the last decade, especially in rural areas where makeshift methamphetamine labs are less likely to be noticed.

But the drug is also a problem in urban areas, sometimes first catching on in the club scene and sometimes among particular populations, such as gay men, according to experts.