Methamphetamine

With a similar chemical structure to amphetamine, methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant that can be taken orally, intravenously, or smoked.MedlinePlus: Methamphetamine

Once taken, methamphetamine alters a person's brain chemistry by elevating dopamine levels. Consequently, increased dopamine causes increased or heightened motivation and ability to experience pleasure.NIDA: InfoFacts: Methamphetamine

• Meth Addiction
• Meth Mites
• Meth Mouth
• Paranoia
• Stroke
• Heart Attack
• Arrhythmia
• High Blood Pressure

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor for more information on methamphetamine.

Directly after WWII, meth was commonly used in Japan to combat fatigue, stress and appetites. After the WWII era, meth became even more widely used in the form of tablets and were called "Work Pills."

It wasn't until the late 1960s that the U.S. became well familiar with methamphetamine. Soon after, the drug was recognized as a very dangerous substance and hence the anti-drug slogan "Speed Kills" was coined. As meth became more and more of a household name concerns grew on both a community and government level. In 1974, this concern led to the Drug Control Act. The Drug Control act was meant to limit the use of amphetamines to medicinal purposes and eliminate the abuse of methamphetamies on a grand scale.

The largest problem with meth abuse was seen in California cities during the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was most largely due to the main manufacturers and dealers of the drug being members of motorcycle gangs; such as Hell's Angels that had their main headquarters in California. Towards the end of the 1980s meth became more common in Honolulu in a smokable form that was being called, "Ice". The drug was being imported onto the Island of Oahu from the Philippines.

Because meth is easy to make, small meth labs were popping up all over the southern dessert areas of California in the late 80s. Ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, hydrochloric or hydriotic acid, ether and red phosphorus are the main ingredients that are used to make meth. During the time, these items were easily accessible with little to no restrictions from a variety of sources. Ease of access, simple instructions and affordability are the major culprits behind the major increase of meth manufacturing and meth abuse. Soon, meth was being made by everyday citizens within their homes, called "The Meth Cottage Industry Era," during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Average citizens were learning how to cook meth in their own homes, in mobile meth labs and other various areas.

The Cottage Industry Era brought on harsher regulations by the government. Bulk sales of ephedrine were prohibited and so, those manufacturing meth were forced to make some changes. Those changes were two-fold. Since ephedrine was no longer available in bulk without raising eyebrows, the recipes that manufacturers of meth were using to produce the drug had to be reconstructed. By replacing ephedrine with pseudoephedrine, meth manufacturers were once again able to go full speed ahead with production. Unknowingly and unwillingly, pharmacies, convenient stores and family department stores became the number one supplier for meth manufacturers as pseudoephedrine was the active ingredient in most over-the-counter cold and sinus medications such as Sudafed and NyQuil. This brought on the second change that had to be made for methamphetamine manufacturers to continue making meth. Federal and state regulations; as well as voluntary efforts of those who produced medications containing pseudoephedrine, began making these medications with blister packaging. There was also a limit placed upon the quantity that was allowed to be purchased per person. Another attempt at making the manufacturing of methamphetamines difficult was to no longer keep the medications on the counters with the other medications. Instead, these medications were located with prescription medications. To get these items, a direct request had to be made. The results have been as anticipated and exactly what law enforcement had hoped for - meth is now much harder to make as the supplies are far more difficult to acquire than in the past several years.

While the manufacturing of meth within the U.S has been lessened by these regulations, it seems larger scale operations have moved south of the border to Mexico where the ingredients that are needed to make meth are still widely available without any restrictions.

Professional drug trafficking teams in Mexico have taken full advantage of the limited supplies within the U.S and have gladly stepped up their own smuggling productions by adding meth to their regular line up of heroine and marijuana. Meth was nearly unheard of in Mexico prior to the United States' regulations on pseudoephedrine.

Because of the drug smuggling routes used by very professional Mexican drug dealers, meth has been established on a large scale in many places along the mid west, the eastern mountain region of the U.S and other places as well. This Mexican drug expansion had brought rise to two problems - an increase in drug abuse and an empowerment of Mexican drug lords.

Meth is one of the most dangerous drugs known to man and is one of the most abused illegal drugs in The United States; second only to marijuana.

This "homegrown drug," as it is commonly referred to, has not only impacted larger cities, but has also rooted itself deeply into small communities, both suburban and rural areas and mid-size cities within the U.S. Meth; also called "crank", is the most dominant illegal drug within the Western and Midwestern U.S today.

In many of the Western and Midwestern U.S. states, meth has become the number one drug addiction; in which, people seek treatment. Rehab for crank or meth users within these areas have risen drastically over the last few years to an astonishing 156%. The number of those using meth has risen from 25 per 100,000 in 1996 to 64 per 100,000 in 2006; in 2006, 17 states had meth rehabilitation admission rates at or greater than 100 per 100,000 population; and meth-related drug treatment admissions spiked in 2005 (154,447), and have remained at high levels since then (152,561 admissions in 2006 and 137,154 in 2007).http://www.methamphetamine.org/html/overview.html

The same trend for meth abuse has been seen in both the health and criminal justice system. Reports of meth-related incidents from health and police officials have more than doubled during the 1990s. This rise in meth-related episodes continues.

Not only has meth moved beyond the larger cities to make itself at home in nearly every small town within The United States, but those using the drug have changed drastically as well. In the 1990s the most common users of meth were white males who were generally attached to biker gangs or white males who were truck drivers. However, this drug is now used by women, the gay, bisexual and transgendered community, the Latin community, those frequently involved with crime and most unfortunately, young adolescents.

Without question, meth addiction is difficult to treat. However, it is not impossible.

If you or someone you know has a drug addiction, please, seek professional help.