Open call for evidence

Drug use in LGBT+ communities and chemsex: call for evidence (accessible)

Published 5 December 2025

Working Group Chair: Professor David Wood

Working Group Secretary: Mollie Virgo

1st Floor (NE), Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

ACMD@homeoffice.gov.uk

28/11/2025

Dear all,

RE: Call for Evidence – Drug Use in LGBT+ Communities and Chemsex

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is currently reviewing the evidence of the use and harms of drugs amongst LGBT+ communities and in the context of chemsex in the United Kingdom (UK). The report aims to consider the evidence surrounding drug use and the associated harms amongst LGBT+ people, with a particular focus on chemsex, to identify measures which can be taken to reduce the impact of drugs harms amongst these communities.

The ACMD would be grateful for your written feedback by 30th January 2026 using the attached questionnaire as part of a public call for evidence. We welcome submissions of evidence from as broad a spectrum of participants as possible and would be grateful if you could please circulate this call for evidence to other colleagues and relevant interest holders. The ACMD will use this evidence to assist in formulating advice to Government.

Thank you in advance for your assistance. If you have any questions or concerns about this call for evidence, please get in touch with us using the above email address.

Yours sincerely,

Professor David Wood

Drug Use in LGBT+ Communities and Chemsex Working Group Chair

ACMD Drug Use in LGBT+ Communities and Chemsex Report: Call for Evidence

Please consider the following information before completing the questionnaire:

Completing the questionnaire

Although your expertise may be better suited to only a subset of the following questions, it would be helpful if you were to consider every question in the questionnaire.

Where possible, please provide supporting evidence and references in your response. The ACMD considers a wide range of evidence as part of its advice, including published literature, statistics, data from UK organisations and expert and interest holder opinions.

Please return your submission to the ACMD Secretariat at: acmd@homeoffice.gov.uk.

How we will use your information

Respondents should note that evidence submitted will inform the development of recommendations from the ACMD and could ultimately be published. However, in the interest of confidentiality and protecting commercial interests, any information submitted will be non-attributable.

All data submitted in response to this call for evidence will be protected by the ACMD Secretariat in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Furthermore, Section 43(1) of the Freedom of Information Act provides an exemption for information which is a trade secret, whilst Section 43(2) exempts information whose disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (an individual, a company, the public authority itself or any other legal entity).

Section 1: About yourself / your organisation

Q1a) Please indicate below if the following statement is applicable:

“My submission should be considered a personal response reflecting my professional experience in this area and therefore not representative of the organisation I work for.”

“My submission should be considered as representative of the organisation I work for.”

Q1b) Please describe either the nature of your organisation and your role or your personal expertise within this area:

Q1c) (For healthcare professionals only)

Please select the setting in which you work: Primary care (e.g. GP practice) Secondary care (e.g. general hospital) Specialist mental health services Addiction services Other community-based services (please specify) Other (please specify)

Section 2: Community context and observation

Q2a) From your experience, what substances are most commonly used recreationally (including where possible detail regarding routes of administration) in different LGBT+ sub-groups, including in chemsex contexts?

Q2b) Are there particular demographic trends that stand out in your observations? Relevant demographics include age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, neurodivergence, socioeconomic status and migration status, among others.

Q2c) Have you noticed any regional differences in the prevalence or nature of recreational drug use in LGBT+ communities, including chemsex?

Q2d) Are there any demographic trends (e.g., age, ethnicity, gender identity) that stand out in your observations?

Q2e) Have you observed any changes over time in the prevalence or nature of recreational drug use in LGBT+ communities, including chemsex?

Section 3: Perceived harms and health impacts

Q3a) What types of harms have you observed in relation to recreational drug use, including chemsex, in LGBT+ communities (e.g., physical, mental, social), and what has been the impact? Where relevant, please include detail regarding routes of administration (e.g. injecting).

Q3b) Are there any specific concerns around consent, safety, or trauma in these contexts?

Q3c) Have you observed any patterns in how these harms manifest (e.g., frequency, severity, co-occurring harms and health impacts)?

Section 4: Access to services and support

Q4a) What types of services or support are available specifically for LGBT+ people experiencing harms related to drug use, including chemsex?

Q4b) From your observation, where do people experiencing harm typically seek help (e.g., sexual health clinics, community organisations, online)?

Q4c) What barriers have you observed that prevent LGBT+ individuals from accessing support or treatment? Are there any concerns of stigma, discrimination, or lack of understanding from general population services (e.g., mental health services, addiction services, sexual health services etc.)?

Section 5: Interventions and harm reduction

Q5a) Are you aware of any effective interventions or harm reduction strategies specifically tailored to LGBT+ communities or in chemsex contexts?

Q5b) What approaches or interventions do you think are most helpful in reducing the harms associated with chemsex?

Q5c) Do you feel that individuals engaging in chemsex are adequately informed about the risks of chemsex and harm reduction strategies? What educational resources or campaigns do you think would be beneficial?

Section 6: Recommendations

Q6a) What changes would you recommend to improve support, reduce harm, and better inform LGBT+ individuals experiencing drug-related harms?

Q6b) Are there any policies, guidelines, or service models you believe should be adopted or expanded?

Q6c) What would make general population services (e.g., mental health services, addiction services, sexual health services etc.) more accessible, welcoming or safe to LGBT+ individuals?

Q6d) Do you feel that there are any areas of research relating to drug use within LGBT+ communities including chemsex which are lacking data, or where further research would be beneficial?

Section 7: Any other comments

Please include any information such as relevant links to webpages, reports, or international projects in progress.

If you would be happy for us to get in touch to further discuss your responses, please leave a contact address – this is optional, and any responses published will be non-attributable: