Methamphetamine

The Making Of Meth

Meth is made using ordinary household utensils and appliances. Items such as coffee makers, blenders, microwaves, and mason jars are used in the cooking process. Seemingly ordinary, everyday products, such as matchbooks, camera batteries, rubbing alcohol, drain cleaner, engine starter fluid, brake cleaner, and table salt can be used in meth production. Because of the availability of these ingredients, a person can cook meth anywhere the back of a pickup truck on the side of a highway, a...

Meth Damages The Brain Permanently

For 20 years, scientific evidence has shown that long-term use of meth depletes supplies of dopamine by damaging dopamine receptors in the brain.24 Studies indicate that this brain damage can be permanent. Long-term meth users may develop life-long problems with verbal skills, memory, and may even develop Parkinson's disease, an incurable nervous disorder with symptoms of trembling hands and extreme muscle stiffness.6, 11 According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), animal studies...

The Heart Lungs And Body Temperature

Intravenous meth users experience a high within 30 seconds of injecting the drug. The reason for this speedy reaction is because once injected into the bloodstream, meth travels straight to the heart. It causes veins and arteries to constrict, which then reduces blood flow and elevates blood pressure, leading to increased body temperature, faster heartbeat, and possible blood clotting. High doses and frequency of meth use can increase body temperature (called hyperthermia) to dangerous levels,...

Ephedrine And Pseudoephedrine

The chemicals ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are like cousins to each other. They share the same molecular formula but are structurally different. However, the structural differences between ephedrine and pseudoephedrine do not affect meth production since they are mirror images of each other. They can be used interchangeably as precursors in meth recipes. Precursors are substances that, in nature, might be inactive, but when combined with another chemical, create a new product. Methamphetamine...

Possession And The Law

People found with illegal drugs on their person (or in their cars or houses) are considered guilty of possession. The consequences of a possession charge depend on the drug, the quantity of drug, and the state in which the person is arrested. In many states, merely being in the company of someone who is in possession of illegal drugs (even if you are unaware of that situation) can make you guilty of possession. With the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, lawmakers classified...

Routes Of Exposure And Duration Of Effects

The way meth enters the body determines its effects. The crystalline powder can be snorted, eaten, or smoked. It can Figure 3.3 Methamphetamine in crystalline form is very potent and often called ice. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Figure 3.3 Methamphetamine in crystalline form is very potent and often called ice. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration be dissolved in a beverage and drunk, or dissolved in water or alcohol and injected. The rock-like form of meth is smoked. Pills are...

Stopping Supply At The Source

Superlabs require large amounts of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, and can produce 100,000 doses of meth, compared to home labs that produce about 300 doses.11 Because of this need, cartels are reliant on the nine international sources for their supply. DEA authorities believe that the spread of meth can be halted if these precursor chemicals are regulated at their international sources and in the countries that import them. The DEA would like to see that countries import only enough of the...

The Birth Of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug, similar to cocaine, which is derived from the coca plant, but made entirely of human-made chemicals (synthetic). Some stimulants are used every day by many people others, like amphetamines, are available only with a doctor's prescription and some, like cocaine, have no legal use whatsoever. One everyday stimulant is caffeine, which exists naturally in coffee, chocolate, and many sodas. Whether natural or chemical, legal or illegal, stimulants speed up the...

The Long Term Health Effects of Methamphetamine

The temporary physical and psychological effects from meth can turn into long-term, permanent effects that last a lifetime. For instance, meth dramatically affects a person's decision-making abilities. The temporary effect of increased libido leads meth users to engage in risky, unprotected sex. A recent study of 19,000 men in Los Angles showed that new HIV infections were three times higher among methamphetamine users than among nonusers.28 Also, HIV and other infectious diseases like...

Terms That Describe Feeling Meths Effects

Ampin', Cranked Up, Foiled, Gassing, Geeked, Gurped, Jacked, Ring Dang Doo, Spin-Jo Speeding, Spun Monkey or Spun Turkey, Twacked, Tweaked, Wired, Zoomin3 13 alone in that year).15 Since the 1990s, methamphetamine use has spread from the Western states to the Southwest and now appears to be concentrated in the rural Midwest. The drug's popularity is related to its low cost (as compared to other drugs), its availability, and its perceived pleasurable side effects such as euphoria, weight loss,...

Methamphetamine Amphetamines Treatment Admissions by Route of Administration 19922002

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Smoking Source 2002 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). 6 Infobase Publishing Figure 6.4 Smoking is an increasingly popular method for taking methamphetamine among users who wind up in the emergency room as a consequence of taking the drug. PREDICTIVE FACTORS WHY DO SOME TEENS CHOOSE TO USE METHAMPHETAMINE Based upon over 25 years of surveys, the Overview of Key Findings portion of the Monitoring the Future Survey has determined that...

The Properties of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine can either exist as a left-handed molecule named -methamphetamine or a right-handed molecule called d-methamphetamine. The left and right meth molecules are mirror images of one another. Mirror images represent one same molecule but with different arrangements in space. Such arrangements may not be superimposed. One's right and left hands are an example of mirror images. A helpful way to remember their meanings is as the drug or egal forms of methamphetamine. The d- form of meth...