People use many products to alter their perception, experience, and behavior, such as coffee or tea, alcohol or tobacco, as well cannabis or cocaine. This fact sheet addresses the use of illegal drugs by the LGBTQ community. We do not use the term “substance abuse,”which has an inherent moral judgment. Instead, the terms “substance use”or “drug use”will be used, which are both neutral and descriptive.

This fact sheet, created in partnership with the Canadian Harm Reduction Network, discusses what “substance use” and “harm reduction” is and explains why LGBTQ people have higher rates of drug use. It also discusses statistics of drug use by various demographics in the LGBTQ community.