- Todd Ahlberg, Director
[Meth - The Movie]











- Dr. Garrett Prestage, ACON

"THE COMMUNITY as a whole was
getting almost stoney, glazed-over.
There was almost an automaton
sort of feel. It wasn't fun... Meth is
silencing us and causing us to be
apathetic..."








"IF YOU ARE A GAY MAN living in
central Sydney, you are living with
rates of HIV that are equivalent to
sub-Saharan Africa.."

2008

12 MAY: AIDS drug Abacavir is latest in long line of pharmaceutical drugs to cause major health risks downplayed by its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline...

17 APR: Leading New York AIDS specialist among many frontline HIV workers and activists to have conracted HIV in their battles against meth...

10 APR: Terrence Higgins Trust launches hardcore web site that graphically details underground sex, publicised in scene mags aimed at under-25 club kids...

10 APR: The 'mechanism' of meth addiction is down to long-term changes in the brain's dopamine-releasing machinery, new research finds...

04 APR: 23.3% of gay high school students in Washington D.C. have used meth, compared to 2.5% of straight students...

28 MAR: Rates of HIV infection in the US between 2005-2006 accelerate by 48%, mostly attributed to gay sex...

21 FEB: Crystal meth, ecstasy and GHB users  more likely to be infected with HIV that is resistant to antiretroviral drugs...

15 FEB: Meth could be Britain's crack cocaine  within four years, warns Association of Chief Polcie Officers as use of the drug creeps upwards...

2007

23 NOV: Meth foothold crosses Atlantic as number of seizures in European countries more than doubles between 2000 and 2006...

04 NOV: Two "ice" users cause more community damage through violence, crime and demand on the health system than 50 heroin users, survey shows...

26 OCT: Edmonton, Canada's long-predicted  meth crisis never materialised due to education and awarenss programs, says police service drug unit...

11 OCT: ACON - meth "...is just another drug" / "...is just the flavour of the month" - awarded $313k of a $90m Australian government pot to fight the drug...

13 SEP: ACON's "angels" accused of trivialising  fight against AIDS by turning Grim Reaper into "high-

camp, high-fun" Glam Reaper in video commercial...

16 AUG: New $30 million Australian TV ad depicts the gruesome reality of meth addiction in an effort to shock and deter the young from using... [View here]

01 AUG: US government allowing meth to proliferate by concentrating most anti-drugs resources on tackling marajuana, say critics...

26th JUN: HIV in San Francisco is relegated from epidemic to endemic status due to declining tranmsmission rates...

26th JUN: Meth use among HIV- men in San Francisco falls 50% between 2003-06, while number of HIV+ users remains unchanged...

25th JUN: Meth conference in Sydney finally reveals that meth and club drugs are aiding spread of HIV "like wildfire"...

23 JUN: HIV+ meth users have less CD4 cells than HIV+ men who don't use, and meth decreases function of vital CD8 cells which help control HIV replication...

09 JUL: Crystal use in UK still relatively rare due in part to popularity and cheapness of cocaine and crack, but police remain vigilant of potential tipping point...

15 JUN: Previous figures severely underestimated the prevalence of meth use among 18 to 26-year-olds, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse...

21 MAY: 57% of HIV-positive men in US contracted hepatitis C while using meth at an unsafe sex party at least once in last six months...

14 MAY: Study shows clear link between meth abusers, risk-filled sex and non-disclosure of HIVers, increasing potential for HIV transmissions...

03 MAY: PEP being prescribed repeatedly to a minority of gay men who wilfully engage in unsafe sex, according to data from St. Mary's hospital in London...

25 APRIL: Meth in UK on increase, according to new survey by drugs charity Coca, with most people believed to be smoking the drug...

22 APR: Australian Prime Minister John Howard

brands meth a menace in society and announces $150 milion boost to tackle nationwide scourge...

05 APR: 46% of meth users face greater risk of HIV infection, says new US study that establishes causative link between meth use and HIV infection...

05 APR: On the 20th birthday of Australia's Grim Reaper campaign, its makers look back at the legacy of the country’s most effective public health ad...

20 MAR: Australia plans hardhitting campaign  after authorities in Montana say an anti-meth campaign has slashed usage rates and changed perceptions...

18 MAR: UK opposition party leader calls for return of hard-hitting campaigns to combat soaring STI rates and other threats to public health...

08 MAR: 31% of London-based crystal meth users interviewed for survey admit to using drug prior to arrival at sex venues...

01 MAR: Crystal meth is moving out of gay clubs

and on to the streets of Britain, warns the lead judge in a West London drugs court...

09 FEB: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation bans Pfizer sales reps from its clinic facilities due to "irresponsible" promotion of Viagra...

25 JAN: UK police issue warning on spread of crystal meth throughout towns and cities...

13 JAN: Meth use almost halved in four years among San Francisco MSM, leading to corresponding fall in number of HIV transmissions...

06 JAN: ACON board member who described Sydney HIV rates as Sub-Saharan releases report that continues to deny causal link between HIV and meth...

2006

13 DEC '06: Pfizer's Viagra + crystal meth = HIV transmission says upfront new ad campaign by the US AIDS Healthcare Foundation...

12 DEC '06: Whoopi Goldberg & Susan Sarandon

among celebrities dispensing practical advice in new NYC Forum meth awareness campaigns...

01 DEC '06: Failure of UK AIDS charities to stem soaring HIV rate prompts commissioning NHS body to propose complete rethink of HIV prevention work...

30 NOV '06: HIV among gay men in inner-Sydney

now at sub-Saharan Africa levels, says ACON board member, Dr. Garrett Prestage...

17 NOV '06: California survey first to demonstrate that meth is associated with unprotected anal intercourse among recently HIV-infected MSM...

07 NOV' 06: UK HIV conference was warned by New York expert in March 2005 to act immediately to prevent subsequent major addiction problems...

05 NOV '06: San Diego Law Enforcement cracking down on illigal drug paraphernalia being sold at shops including glass pipes...

13 OCT '06: UK Parliament fasttracks reclassification of meth - dealers to face life imprisonment and unlimited fines... [See London I]

02 OCT '06: 'Ice' a bigger scourge than heroin, says NSW Sydney Police Commissioner amid new crackdown as epidemic reaches crisis point...

05 AUG '06: Methamphetamine proven to promote the spread of HIV virus in infected users, doubling the danger of progression to full-blown AIDS...

11 JUL '06: City University of London survey reveals 10% of gay men in London have used crystal meth, and establishes link with unsafe sex...

12 JUN '06: UK Home Office set to reclassify crystal meth Class A after police warn the drug could become mainstream in two to three years...

01 JUN '06: Bush administration unveils new global approach to curbing the production and abuse of methamphetamine...

16 MAY '06: Prometa protocol study results show more than 80% of meth-addicted study participants experienced significant clinical benefit...

10 MAY '06: US Drug Enforcement Agency says meth users worldwide now outstrip combined number of cocaine and heroine users...

02 MAY '06: $4.5m shock campaign in Montana accused of hysteria by inactive critics...

29 APR '06: London's Terrence Higgins Trust  describes UK meth figures as "extremely low", despite exceeding "epidemic" numbers for HIV [see London]...

10 MAR '06: New anti-meth measures attached to renewal of the draconian Patriot Act, which Bush signs into law...

01 MAR '06: The United Nations' International Narcotics Control Board warns of global pandemic and calls on governments to clamp down on meth...

25 FEB '06: Meth - The Movie weaves together the reflections of a dozen diverse gay men across the US, both present and past users of the drug...

06 FEB '06: Television executives encouraged to spread message of the dangers of meth in their schedules...

30 JAN '06: Biggest ever seizure of crystal meth in New Zealand, worth more than NZ$8m...

2005

14 DEC '05: House Of Representatives passes the Combat Methamphetamine Act of 2005...

23 NOV '05: UK government fails to bolt stable door by delaying meth reclassification by 12 months...

29 OCT '05: Chinese students in New Zealand are being used as traffickers by meth syndicates in China...

03 OCT '05: Online auction site eBay bans the sale of key methamphetamine ingredients...

10 SEP '05: Senate approves meth bill S.103  to restrict sale of cold medicines. Next step: The House of Representatives...

04 SEP '05: Drug Enforcement Agency launches anti-meth website...

23 AUG '05: Lawmakers critical of White House's "embarrassing" plan to thwart meth...

20 AUG '05: 'Ice', a pure form of meth, now more prevalent in areas with multiple meth lab busts...

13 AUG '05: The Canadian government moves meth to Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and

Substances Act... Dealers now face life terms...

12 AUG '05: Meth abuse combined with HIV

causes significant changes in the brain's structure...

8 AUG '05: American Dental Association warns of meth's effects on oral health...

8 AUG '05: UCLA brain research latest findings...

7 AUG '05: Street gangs ban meth to avoid being torn apart...