Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence: roman. Background: Chemsex is the use of illicit drugsโparticularly methamphetamine, gamma hydroxybutyrate GHB , and gamma-butyrolactone GBL โto enhance sexual activity. Chemsex, which occurs primarily among communities of men who have sex with men MSM , is associated with greater HIV risk behaviors, including multiple sex partners, group sex, condomless sex, and injection drug use.
Participants were recruited through targeted advertisements on social networks. Results: Just under 1 in 10 9. More than two-thirds of participants There is an urgent need for programs that integrate drug, sexual health, and mental health services, with a focus on harm reduction e. Keywords: chemsex, sexualized drug use, party and play, men who have sex with men, Malaysia, HIV prevention. Sexualized drug use SDU refers to the intentional use of illicit drugs for the purpose of enhancing a sexual experience.
It is characterized by the use of a distinct set of drugsโtypically, methamphetamine, mephedrone, gamma hydroxybutyrate GHB , and gamma-butyrolactone GBL [ 1 , 2 ]โbefore or during sexual activities to facilitate, enhance, and prolong them [ 3 , 4 ]. In recent years, chemsex among MSM has coincided with the emergence of digital geosocial technologies e. Chemsex is a growing public health concern globally because of a higher risk of associated adverse health outcomes [ 2 , 10 ].
Existing literature further reports that chemsex users experience adverse health outcomes associated with the use of drugs, including biopsychosocial risks such as craving and withdrawal symptoms, overdose, dehydration, heart failure, nonconsensual acts, depression, anxiety, psychosis, and loss of job [ 3 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Additionally, engagement in chemsex has been associated with high-risk sexual behaviors, including the ability to have prolonged sexual sessions, having multiple sex partners, and engaging in condomless anal sex [ 3 , 5 , 16 ], resulting in greater vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections and HIV transmission, as well as other bloodborne infections e.
In various settings, these direct harms are further compounded by criminalizing and stigmatizing same-sex sexual orientation and drug use, deterring chemsex users from fully accessing or utilizing health care services [ 18 , 19 ]. Notwithstanding these studies, there is a paucity of research on chemsex among MSM in Malaysia. This may be attributed to stigmatization and legal concerns around same-sex sexual behavior and drug use [ 20 ] that create barriers for MSM in Malaysia to participate in chemsex-related research or access resources provided by healthcare and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LGBT friendly community-based organizations.
