What is methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine
is a powerfully addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central
nervous system. The drug is made easily in clandestine laboratories
with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. These factors
combine to make methamphetamine a drug with high potential for widespread
abuse.
Methamphetamine
is commonly known as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." In its smoked form,
it is often referred to as "ice," "crystal," "crank," and "glass." It
is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily
dissolves in water or alcohol. The drug was developed early in this
century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in
nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers. Methamphetamine's chemical
structure is similar to that of amphetamine, but it has more pronounced
effects on the central nervous system. Like amphetamine, it causes increased
activity, decreased appetite, and a general sense of well-being. The
effects of methamphetamine can last 6 to 8 hours. After the initial
"rush," there is typically a state of high agitation that in some individuals
can lead to violent behavior.
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| The
Drug Abuse Warning Network tracks the number of times a drug is
mentioned in connection with emergency room visits in 21 metropolitan
areas. |
Methamphetamine
is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for
abuse and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled.
There are a few accepted medical reasons for its use, such as the treatment
of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, and - for short-term use
- obesity; but these medical uses are limited.
What is the scope
of methamphetamine
abuse in the United States?
Methamphetamine
abuse, long reported as the dominant drug problem in the San Diego,
CA, area, has become a substantial drug problem in other sections of
the West and Southwest, as well. There are indications that it is spreading
to other areas of the country, including both rural and urban sections
of the South and Midwest. Methamphetamine, traditionally associated
with white, male, blue-collar workers, is being used by more diverse
population groups that change over time and differ by geographic area.
According to the
2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 8.8 million
people (4.0 percent of the population) have tried methamphetamine at
some time in their lives.
Data from the 2000
Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects information on drug-related
episodes from hospital emergency departments in 21 metropolitan areas,
reported that methamphetamine-related episodes increased from approximately
10,400 in 1999 to 13,500 in 2000, a 30 percent increase. However, there
was a significant decrease in methamphetamine-related episodes reported
between 1997 (17,200) and 1998 (11,500).
NIDA's Community Epidemiology
Work Group (CEWG), an early warning network of researchers that
provides information about the nature and patterns of drug use in major
cities, reported in its June 2001 publication that methamphetamine continues
to be a problem in Hawaii and in major Western cities, such as San Francisco,
Denver, and Los Angeles. Methamphetamine availability and production
are being reported in more diverse areas of the country, particularly
rural areas, prompting concern about more widespread use.
Drug abuse treatment
admissions reported by the CEWG in June 2001 showed that methamphetamine
remained the leading drug of abuse among treatment clients in the San
Diego area and Hawaii. Stimulants, including methamphetamine, accounted
for smaller percentages of treatment admissions in other states and
metropolitan areas of the West (e.g., 9 percent in Los Angeles and Seattle
and 8 percent in Texas). By comparison, stimulants were the primary
drugs of abuse in a smaller percent of treatment admissions in most
Eastern and Midwestern metropolitan areas, such as Minneapolis-St. Paul
and St. Louis, where they accounted for approximately 3 percent of total
admissions, or Baltimore, where no stimulant-related treatment admissions
were reported in the first half of 2000.
