MethResources.gov: Overview of Meth

General Information About Meth

Introduction

What is meth?
Methamphetamine, or meth, is a powerfully addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central nervous system. Source

What are common street terms for meth?
Commons street terms used to refer to methamphetamine include: meth, speed, chalk, ice, and glass. Source

What does meth look like?
Visit the following sites to view pictures of meth:

How is meth used?
Methamphetamine comes in many forms and can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, or injected. Source

Health Effects

What are the physical effects of methamphetamine use?
The central nervous system (CNS) actions that result from taking even small amounts of methamphetamine include increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, hyperthermia, and euphoria. Other CNS effects include irritability, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Hyperthermia and convulsions can result in death. Methamphetamine also causes increased heart rate and blood pressure. Source

What are the health effects of long-term meth use?
Long-term methamphetamine abuse has many damaging consequences. In addition to addiction to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They may also display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin, known as "formication"). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. Source

Is meth addictive?
Yes. 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. Source

Can meth use damage brain cells?
Animal research spanning more than 20 years shows that high doses of methamphetamine damage neuron cell endings. Dopamine- and serotonin-containing neurons do not die after methamphetamine use, but their nerve endings (“terminals”) are cut back, and regrowth appears to be limited. Source

Can using meth make you violent?
Chronic abuse of meth 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. Source

Does meth use cause strokes?
Methamphetamine causes increased heart rate and blood pressure and can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Source

Extent of Use

How many Americans have tried meth?
A 2005 survey found that approximately 10.4 million Americans aged 12 or older reported trying methamphetamine at least once during their lifetimes, representing 4.3% of the population aged 12 or older. Approximately 1.3 million (0.5%) reported past year methamphetamine use and 512,000 (0.2%) reported past month methamphetamine use. Source

How many youth have tried meth?
A 2007 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders found that 1.8% of eighth graders, 2.8% of tenth graders, and 3.0% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of methamphetamine. This is down from 2.7%, 3.2%, and 4.4%, respectively in 2006.Source

A 2005 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey found that 6.2% of high school students reported using methamphetamine during their lifetimes. Male students (6.3%) were more likely than female students (6.0%) to report lifetime methamphetamine use. Hispanic (8.8%) and white (6.5%) students were more likely than black (1.7%) students to use methamphetamine within their lifetime. Source

Responses to the Meth Problem

Enforcement

How many people are arrested for meth-related offenses?
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported 6,090 methamphetamine-related arrests during 2005. This is up from 5,893 in 2004 and 6,055 in 2003. Source

How many offenders were sentenced for meth-related charges?
During FY 2006, there were 5,395 Federal defendants sentenced for methamphetamine-related charges in U.S. Courts. The majority of the offenders sentenced for meth offenses were male (77.8%), white (53.6%), and U.S. citizens (73.6%). Approximately 98% of the meth charges were for trafficking. Source

Treatment

How many meth-related treatment admissions are there?
There were 149,415 admissions to treatment in 2006 with methamphetamine identified as the primary substance of abuse. Source

What treatments are effective for meth abusers?
At this time the most effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction are cognitive behavioral interventions. These approaches are designed to help modify the patient's thinking, expectancies, and behaviors and to increase skills in coping with various life stressors. Methamphetamine recovery support groups also appear to be effective adjuncts to behavioral interventions that can lead to long-term drug-free recovery. Source

Are there any effective pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine?
There are currently no particular pharmacological treatments for dependence on amphetamine or amphetamine-like drugs such as methamphetamine. Source

Where can I find help for a meth problem?
If you, or someone you know, have a problem with meth, get help now. Call 1-800-662-HELP or find treatment online.

Are drug courts an effective way to intervene and manage meth-addicted offenders?
Federally funded drug courts in California, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Kentucky have been using the drug court model-that is, pairing the coercive power strategies-to successfully intervene and manage the methamphetamine-addicted offender. Source (PDF)

Prevention

What should be included in a comprehensive meth prevention strategy?
To be effective, drug prevention programs generally should be long-term and comprehensive, with the goal of preventing any illicit drug use, not just the abuse of one drug or class of drug. Nevertheless, as evidenced by the increasing use of methamphetamine, demand patterns can change quickly, often with significant risk to public health and safety. Effective prevention therefore must also include early warnings about such emerging drug threats and quick community response through education and outreach efforts.

Scientific research supports targeted short-term prevention efforts and more general long-term prevention efforts identifying specific drugs subject to abuse and related demographic trends. These trends include patterns of drug use initiation and progression, motivation and risk factors associated with drug use, and the factors that protect against drug use. Prevention programs should be based on this knowledge, beginning with scientific collaboration to identify and develop testing methods and products for meth, and should address specific community needs in some cases focusing efforts on one or more particular drugs. Furthermore, prevention programs should seek the voluntary participation of many community components including individuals, families, schools, religious institutions, businesses, law enforcement, social service agencies, the media, and other organizations in a coordinated manner according to community needs and available resources. Source

For information about prevention programs, visit SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) Web site. For more information about community coalitions, visit the Drug-Free Communities Support Program site or the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) site.

Special Issues Related to the Meth Problem

Meth Labs

What is a clandestine laboratory?
The clandestine drug laboratory or clan lab is a mini-chemical lab designed for one purpose: to manufacture illegal drugs quickly and cheaply. Clan lab chemists can produce LSD, synthetic heroin and other drugs, but their drug of choice is methamphetamine.

These homemade drugs are dangerous, but the labs are equally dangerous and can be located in any neighborhood. Toxic chemicals, explosions, fires, booby traps, and armed criminals - are all common dangers of clan labs.

Clan labs can be found in:

Rural rentals with absentee landlords (homes, barns, mobile homes or outbuildings).
Urban home or apartment rentals with absentee landlords.
Trailers and motor homes.
Motel rooms.
Houseboats.
Mini-storage units. These are used to store chemicals, drugs, lab equipment and weapons.

Source (PDF)

What are the dangers of meth labs?
Clandestine drug labs cause three main types of harm: physical injury from explosions, fires, chemical burns, and toxic fumes; environmental hazards; and child endangerment.

Physical injury from explosions, fires, chemical burns, and toxic fumes. Mixing chemicals in clandestine drug labs creates substantial risks of explosions, fires, chemical burns, and toxic fume inhalation. Those who mix the chemicals (known as "cooks" or "cookers") and their assistants, emergency responders, hazardous material cleanup crews, neighbors, and future property occupants are all at risk from chemical exposure.

Environmental hazards. Each pound of manufactured methamphetamine produces about 5 to 6 pounds of hazardous waste. Clandestine drug lab operators commonly dump this waste into the ground, sewers, streams, or rivers. The water used to put out lab fires can also wash toxic chemicals into sewers. Residual contamination of the ground, water supplies, buildings, and furniture may last for years.

Child endangerment. Many jurisdictions are now finding that children are commonly exposed to the hazards of clandestine drug labs. Some children have dangerous chemicals or traces of illicit drugs in their systems. Others suffer burns to their lungs or skin from chemicals or fire. Some have died in explosions and fires. Many are badly neglected or abused by parents suffering from the effects of drug abuse. Senior citizens whose caretakers are lab operators are similarly vulnerable. Pets, including guard dogs, can also be harmed. Source (PDF)

Are there different types of meth labs?
There are two general types of clandestine drug labs. One is the "super" lab a large, highly organized lab that can manufacture 10 or more pounds of methamphetamine per production cycle. To date, super labs are concentrated in southern California and Mexico. The other type of lab is smaller, and often referred to as "mom and pop" or "Beavis and Butthead" labs. These labs can manufacture only 1 to 4 ounces of methamphetamine per production cycle. Their operators typically produce enough drugs for their own use and close associates' use, with just enough extra to sell to others to finance the purchase of production chemicals. Source (PDF)

How many methamphetamine laboratory incidents have been reported in the United States?
In 2007, there were 5,080 methamphetamine laboratory incidents reported in the United States. This includes labs, dumpsites, and chemical/glass/equipment discovery. Source

Precursor Chemicals

What are precursor chemicals?
Precursor chemicals are the chemicals or ingredients needed to manufacture methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. These chemicals are often illegally diverted from legitimate sources. Some of the precursor chemicals needed to manufacture meth include pseudoephedrine (contained in over the counter cold medicines), anhydrous ammonia (used primarily as an agricultural fertilizer and industrial refrigerant), and red phosphorus (used in matches). Source

What is pseudoephedrine?
Pseudoephedrine is a drug contained in over the counter cold medicines. It is also the primary ingredient needed to manufacture methamphetamine.

What are common ways to divert pseudoephedrine?
Common methods of Pseudoephedrine diversion include:

"Smurfing" - multiple purchases at one location
Shelf-Sweeping - theft of all shelf stock
Shoplifting
Theft from wholesalers

Source

How can the diversion of pseudoephedrine be prevented?
Preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals involves the coordination and cooperation of law enforcement officials and retailers. Some methods for preventing retail diversion include setting and enforcing thresholds on the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be purchased by customers, storing pseudoephedrine stock behind the retail counter, and establishing education programs for employees. Source

For more information on preventing the diversion of pseudoephedrine visit MethWatch.com.

Drug Endangered Children

What are drug-endangered children?
Innocent children are sometimes found in homes and other environments (hotels, automobiles, apartments, etc.) where methamphetamine and other illegal substances are produced.

Children who live at or visit drug-production sites or who are present during drug production face a variety of health and safety risks, including:

inhalation, absorption, or ingestion of toxic chemicals, drugs, or contaminated foods that may result in nausea, chest pain, eye and tissue irritation, chemical burns, and death
fires and explosions
abuse and neglect
hazardous lifestyle (presence of booby traps, firearms, code violations, poor ventilation)

Source

How many children are found at meth labs?
According to the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System, there were 611 children affected by or injured or killed at methamphetamine labs during calendar year 2007. A child affected by labs includes children who were residing at the labs but may not have been present at the time of the lab seizure as well as children who were visiting the site.

Number of Children Affected by Labs, 2004-2007

	2004	2005	2006	2007
Child injured	13	11	--	7
Child killed	3	2	--	1
Children affected	3,088	1,647	--	653
Total injured/killed/affected	3,104	1,660	1,222	661