Methamphetamine Use

Many people are changing their drug habits from ecstasy and cocaine to methamphetamine under the mistaken impression that it is not as dangerous. This misconception has increased the number of users dramatically over the last decade. Previously confined to the western and Midwestern parts of the country popularity is now advancing to include the more eastern regions of the country.

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 12.

3 million Americans age 12 and over have tried methamphetamine at least once. That's 5.2% of the population. And this is the perfect drug for the youth, it is easily accessible and becoming increasingly affordable. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that in 2004, 6.2% of high school seniors had tried it.

So what is this latest drug to capture the tortured imagination of drug users across the country?

Methamphetamine was developed in the last century for use in nasal decongestants, bronchial inhalers, diet medications and drug treatment for the sleep disorder narcolepsy. It fell from grace in the 1970's when it was declared a Schedule II drug i.e. a drug with little medical use and a high risk of abuse.

Despite this it is being marketed and sold as a desirable alternative to drugs like ecstasy and cocaine under the misleading premise that it is not really a "drug". The fact is that this is not only a drug but a particularly lethal one. It makes a beeline for the central nervous system where it wreaks havoc with the neurotransmitters responsible for the reward and pleasure centers of our brain.

By scrambling the way that the neurotransmitter dopamine behaves it short circuits the normal, healthy function and delivers euphoria on demand only to replace it subsequently with a significant downer causing the cycle of addiction to progressively gather in strength.

By releasing high levels of dopamine, methamphetamine stimulates the brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. Not only does it create a false sense of energy that puts the body into overdrive but it also has what the NIDA refers to as "a neurotoxic effect" damaging precious brain cells and depleting supplies of both of our natural feel-good neurotransmitters: dopamine and serotonin.

Methamphetamine, which is the most commonly abused member of the family of amphetamines, is a street drug that is known as meth, poor man's cocaine, crystal meth, ice, glass or speed. In 2001 the drug sent more people to emergency rooms than any other club drug.

It's out there on the streets and in our schools and the price is coming down because of the increased production and growing demand. Unlike other drugs, synthetic methamphetamine can be made in labs that are little bigger than a suitcase. These little labs, known as "mom and pop" labs are popping up across the country. Recipes are two a penny on the web and it is estimated that the average meth 'cook' will teach ten more potential 'cooks' the trade in the space of a year.

Set up costs are minimal when compared to the profit potential: a few hundred dollars in over the counter cold and asthma medications plus other chemicals should have the project underway with a production potential of several thousand dollars worth of the drug.

So here are some of the ingredients that go into this deadly cocktail: First there are the over the counter medications. Now add battery acid, drain cleaner and hydrochloric acid along with antifreeze and lye. When you look at this toxic list of ingredients it is no wonder that the drug is often considered to be one of the most dangerous drugs currently available.

This is quite a different story to the one handed out to club goers looking for a 'rush'. This is what they are told to expect: injecting, snorting, smoking or swallowing a capsule will result in a 'rush' or 'flash' of ecstasy or pleasure, with longer lasting effects that may persist for anything from 4 to 24 hours.

What the dealers don't tell you is that the way that methamphetamine messes with the central nervous system causes sweeping damage that effects the delicate workings of the brain and mind as well as the circulatory system. This powerfully addictive stimulant generates a potentially fatal short circuit that produces a burst of euphoria followed by increasingly severe psychological, psychiatric and biological symptoms. Doses become less effective and therefore need to be increased.

Toxic overdose is what sends all those people into the emergency rooms. All that is needed is 50mgs of pure drug for an inexperienced user. Experienced users have been known to increase the dosage to the point where the body collapses. In one study laboratory animals pressed the levers to release the methamphetamine into their blood stream rather than eat, mate or satisfy any other normal survival drives.