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- A powerfully
addictive Stimulant that dramatically affects many areas of the central
nervous system.
 The Drug can easily be made in clandestine laboratories
from relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients and can be
purchased at a relatively low cost. These factors make methamphetamine
a drug with a high potential for widespread abuse.
- Sometimes
referred to as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." In its smoked form it is
often referred to as "ice," "crystal," "crank," and "glass."
- Comes in many forms and can be smoked, snorted, injected or orally ingested.
- A white, odorless, bitter tasting crystalline powder that can be easily dissolved in water or Alcohol.
Populations using methamphetamine...
- Traditionally
associated with white, male, blue-collar workers, is now reportedly
being used by diverse groups in all regions of the country.
- Use
is increasing among men who have sex with men and use other drugs,
making this population more vulnerable to contracting and spreading
sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.
- Young adults who attend "raves" or private clubs also are increasingly using methamphetamine.
- Include notable increases among homeless and runaway youth.
- Increasing
use of methamphetamine is reported among male and female commercial sex
workers who also trade sex for drugs and among members of motorcycle
gangs. Also, people in occupations (such as long-haul truckers) that
demand long hours, mental alertness, and physical endurance, have been
using this drug at increased rates.
New trends in methamphetamine use...
- There
is emerging evidence that methamphetamine is being administered
increasingly via the intravenous route. Injecting this drug puts the
user at increased risk for engaging in behaviors (both sexual and
non-sexual) that could increase his/her chance of contracting HIV/AIDS,
Hepatitis, and other infectious diseases
- Methamphetamine
is not usually sold and bought on the streets like many of the other
known illicit drugs. Users report that they obtain their supplies of
methamphetamine from friends and acquaintances. It is typically a more
closed or hidden sale, prearranged by "networking" with those producing
the drug. Often it is sold "by invitation only" at all-night warehouse
parties or "raves."
- Because
methamphetamine can be made with readily available inexpensive
materials, there is great variation in the processes and chemicals
used. This means that the final product that is sold as
"methamphetamine" may not be methamphetamine at all, but rather a
highly altered chemical mixture with some stimulant-like effects.
Uncertainties about the drug's sources and the pharmacological agents
used in its production makes it especially difficult to determine its
toxicity, and resulting consequences and symptoms.
- Methamphetamine
is often being used in dangerous combination with other substances,
including Cocaine/crack, Marijuana, Heroin, and alcohol.
- Long
reported as the dominant drug problem in the San Diego, California,
area, methamphetamine has become a substantial drug problem in other
sections of the West and southwest as well. The drug has now been
reported in both rural and urban areas of the South and Midwest. It is
emerging in major urban areas in the East, but not to the extent seen
in other regions of the country.
You can identify methamphetamine users by...
- Signs
of agitation, excited speech, have decreased appetites, and increased
physical activity levels. Other common symptoms include: dilated
pupils, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, shortness
of breath, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and elevated body temperature.
- Occasional episodes of sudden and violent behavior, intense paranoia, visual and auditory Hallucinations, and bouts of insomnia.
- A
tendency to compulsively clean and groom and repetitively sort and
disassemble objects, such as cars and other mechanical devices.
Preventing methamphetamine use...
| Definitions of Terms Used |
| AIDS | Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. A condition characterized by a defect in the body's natural immunity to diseases. Individuals who suffer from it are at risk for severe illnesses that are usually not a threat to anyone whose immune system is working properly.
| | Alcohol | Refers to ethyl alcohol or ethanol.
| | Cocaine | A highly addictive stimulant drug derived from the cocoa plant that produces feelings of euphoria. Also see Crack.
| | Drug | Any substance, other than food, that changes the function or structure of the body or mind when ingested. Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant. A greater amount acts as a sedative. A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one dead. This is true of any drug. Each has a different amount at which it gives those results.
| | Drug abuse | The use of illegal drugs or the inappropriate use of legal drugs. The repeated use of drugs to produce pleasure, to alleviate stress, or to alter or avoid reality - or all three.
| | Hallucinations | Perceptions of something (such as a visual image or a sound) that does not really exist. Hallucinations usually arise from a disorder of the nervous system or in response to drugs (such as LSD).
| | Hepatitis | Inflammation of the liver.
| | Heroin | The potent, widely abused opiate that produces a profound addiction. It consists of two morphine molecules linked together chemically.
| | Marijuana | A psychoactive drug made from the leaves of the cannabis plant. It is usually smoked but can also be eaten. See Cannabis.
| | Methamphetamine | A commonly abused, potent stimulant drug that is part of a larger family of amphetamines.
| | Stimulant | A class of drugs that elevates mood, increases feelings of well-being, and increases energy and alertness. These drugs produce euphoria and are powerfully rewarding. Stimulants include cocaine,
Methamphetamine, and methylphenidate (Ritalin).
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| | ©2005 remository.com |
Source: National Institute on Drug abuse
Image Source: Indiana State Police
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