DESCRIPTION/OVERVIEW
Today, methamphetamine is second only to alcohol
and marijuana as the drug used most frequently in
many Western and Midwestern states. Seizures of
dangerous laboratory materials have increased
dramatically—in some states, fivefold. In response,
many special task forces and local and Federal
initiatives have been developed to target
methamphetamine production and use. Legislation
and negotiation with earlier source areas for
precursor substances have also reduced the
availability of the raw materials needed to make the
drug.(1)
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug with
potent central nervous system stimulant properties. In
the 1960s, methamphetamine pharmaceutical
products were widely available and extensively
diverted and abused. The 1971 placement of
methamphetamine into Schedule II of the Controlled
Substance Act (CSA) and the removal of
methamphetamine injectable formulations from the
United States market, combined with a better
appreciation for its high abuse potential, led to a
drastic reduction in the abuse of this drug. However, a
resurgence of methamphetamine abuse occurred in
the 1980s and it is currently considered a major drug
of abuse. The widespread availability of
methamphetamine today is largely fueled by illicit
production in large and small clandestine laboratories
throughout the United States and illegal production
and importation from Mexico. In some areas of the
country (especially on the West Coast),
methamphetamine abuse has outpaced both heroin
and cocaine.(2)
The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of
narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.(3)
STREET NAMES
Speed, Meth, Ice, Crystal, Chalk, Crank, Tweak, Uppers, Black
Beauties, Glass, Bikers Coffee, Methlies Quick, Poor Man's
Cocaine, Chicken Feed, Shabu, Crystal Meth, Stove Top,
Trash, Go-Fast, Yaba, and Yellow Bam
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
As a powerful stimulant, methamphetamine, even in
small doses, can increase wakefulness and physical
activity and decrease appetite. A brief, intense
sensation, or rush, is reported by those who smoke or
inject methamphetamine. Oral ingestion or snorting
produces a long-lasting high instead of a rush, which
reportedly can continue for as long as half a day.
Both the rush and the high are believed to result from
the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter
dopamine into areas of the brain that regulate
feelings of pleasure.(4)
Methamphetamine has toxic effects. In animals, a
single high dose of the drug has been shown to
damage nerve terminals in the dopamine-containing
regions of the brain. The large release of dopamine
produced by methamphetamine is thought to
contribute to the drug’s toxic effects on nerve
terminals in the brain. High doses can elevate body
temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels,
as well as cause convulsions.(5)
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Long-term methamphetamine abuse results in many
damaging effects, including addiction. Addiction is a
chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by
compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is
accompanied by functional and molecular changes in
the brain. In addition to being addicted to
methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine
abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent
behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also
can display a number of psychotic features, including
paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances,
and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects
creeping on the skin, which is called “formication”).
The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as
suicidal thoughts.(6)
With chronic use, tolerance for methamphetamine can
develop. In an effort to intensify the desired effects,
users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more
frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In
some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while
indulging in a form of binging known as a “run,”
injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3
hours over several days until the user runs out of the
drug or is too disorganized to continue. Chronic
abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized
by intense paranoia, visual and auditory
hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be
coupled with extremely violent behavior.(7)
Although there are no physical manifestations of a
withdrawal syndrome when methamphetamine use is
stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when
a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include
depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression,
and an intense craving for the drug.(8)
In scientific studies examining the consequences of
long-term methamphetamine exposure in animals,
concern has arisen over its toxic effects on the brain.
Researchers have reported that as much as 50
percent of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain
can be damaged after prolonged exposure to
relatively low levels of methamphetamine.
Researchers also have found that serotonin-
containing nerve cells may be damaged even more
extensively. Whether this toxicity is related to the
psychosis seen in some long-term methamphetamine
abusers is still an open question.(9)
USE/USER POPULATION
According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, approximately 11.7 million Americans ages 12 and
older reported trying methamphetamine at least once during
their lifetimes, representing 4.9% of the population ages 12
and older. Approximately 1.4 million (0.6%) reported past year
methamphetamine use and 583,000 (0.2%) reported past
month methamphetamine use.(15)
Among students surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring the
Future study, 3.1% of eighth graders, 4.1% of tenth graders,
and 4.5% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of
methamphetamine. In 2004, these percentages were 2.5%,
5.3%, and 6.2%, respectively.(16)
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys
high school students on several risk factors including drug
and alcohol use. Results of the 2005 survey indicate that 6.2%
of high school students reported using methamphetamine at
some point in their lifetimes. This is down from 7.6% in 2003
and 9.8% in 2001.(17)
Available data on typical methamphetamine users reveal that
most are white, are in their 20’s or 30’s, have a high school
education or better, and are employed full- or part-time.
Methamphetamine is used by housewives, students, club-
goers, truckers, and a growing number of others. Almost as
many women as men use methamphetamine (55 percent
male, 45 percent female.)(18)
Daven Salmi, LCDC
Today, methamphetamine is second only to alcohol
and marijuana as the drug used most frequently in
many Western and Midwestern states. Seizures of
dangerous laboratory materials have increased
dramatically—in some states, fivefold. In response,
many special task forces and local and Federal
initiatives have been developed to target
methamphetamine production and use. Legislation
and negotiation with earlier source areas for
precursor substances have also reduced the
availability of the raw materials needed to make the
drug.(1)
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug with
potent central nervous system stimulant properties. In
the 1960s, methamphetamine pharmaceutical
products were widely available and extensively
diverted and abused. The 1971 placement of
methamphetamine into Schedule II of the Controlled
Substance Act (CSA) and the removal of
methamphetamine injectable formulations from the
United States market, combined with a better
appreciation for its high abuse potential, led to a
drastic reduction in the abuse of this drug. However, a
resurgence of methamphetamine abuse occurred in
the 1980s and it is currently considered a major drug
of abuse. The widespread availability of
methamphetamine today is largely fueled by illicit
production in large and small clandestine laboratories
throughout the United States and illegal production
and importation from Mexico. In some areas of the
country (especially on the West Coast),
methamphetamine abuse has outpaced both heroin
and cocaine.(2)
The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of
narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.(3)
STREET NAMES
Speed, Meth, Ice, Crystal, Chalk, Crank, Tweak, Uppers, Black
Beauties, Glass, Bikers Coffee, Methlies Quick, Poor Man's
Cocaine, Chicken Feed, Shabu, Crystal Meth, Stove Top,
Trash, Go-Fast, Yaba, and Yellow Bam
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
As a powerful stimulant, methamphetamine, even in
small doses, can increase wakefulness and physical
activity and decrease appetite. A brief, intense
sensation, or rush, is reported by those who smoke or
inject methamphetamine. Oral ingestion or snorting
produces a long-lasting high instead of a rush, which
reportedly can continue for as long as half a day.
Both the rush and the high are believed to result from
the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter
dopamine into areas of the brain that regulate
feelings of pleasure.(4)
Methamphetamine has toxic effects. In animals, a
single high dose of the drug has been shown to
damage nerve terminals in the dopamine-containing
regions of the brain. The large release of dopamine
produced by methamphetamine is thought to
contribute to the drug’s toxic effects on nerve
terminals in the brain. High doses can elevate body
temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels,
as well as cause convulsions.(5)
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Long-term methamphetamine abuse results in many
damaging effects, including addiction. Addiction is a
chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by
compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is
accompanied by functional and molecular changes in
the brain. In addition to being addicted to
methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine
abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent
behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also
can display a number of psychotic features, including
paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances,
and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects
creeping on the skin, which is called “formication”).
The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as
suicidal thoughts.(6)
With chronic use, tolerance for methamphetamine can
develop. In an effort to intensify the desired effects,
users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more
frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In
some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while
indulging in a form of binging known as a “run,”
injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3
hours over several days until the user runs out of the
drug or is too disorganized to continue. Chronic
abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized
by intense paranoia, visual and auditory
hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be
coupled with extremely violent behavior.(7)
Although there are no physical manifestations of a
withdrawal syndrome when methamphetamine use is
stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when
a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include
depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression,
and an intense craving for the drug.(8)
In scientific studies examining the consequences of
long-term methamphetamine exposure in animals,
concern has arisen over its toxic effects on the brain.
Researchers have reported that as much as 50
percent of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain
can be damaged after prolonged exposure to
relatively low levels of methamphetamine.
Researchers also have found that serotonin-
containing nerve cells may be damaged even more
extensively. Whether this toxicity is related to the
psychosis seen in some long-term methamphetamine
abusers is still an open question.(9)
USE/USER POPULATION
According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, approximately 11.7 million Americans ages 12 and
older reported trying methamphetamine at least once during
their lifetimes, representing 4.9% of the population ages 12
and older. Approximately 1.4 million (0.6%) reported past year
methamphetamine use and 583,000 (0.2%) reported past
month methamphetamine use.(15)
Among students surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring the
Future study, 3.1% of eighth graders, 4.1% of tenth graders,
and 4.5% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of
methamphetamine. In 2004, these percentages were 2.5%,
5.3%, and 6.2%, respectively.(16)
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys
high school students on several risk factors including drug
and alcohol use. Results of the 2005 survey indicate that 6.2%
of high school students reported using methamphetamine at
some point in their lifetimes. This is down from 7.6% in 2003
and 9.8% in 2001.(17)
Available data on typical methamphetamine users reveal that
most are white, are in their 20’s or 30’s, have a high school
education or better, and are employed full- or part-time.
Methamphetamine is used by housewives, students, club-
goers, truckers, and a growing number of others. Almost as
many women as men use methamphetamine (55 percent
male, 45 percent female.)(18)
Daven Salmi, LCDC
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Meth is often home-made using common
household chemicals.
household chemicals.
Help is on the way!