Crystal Meth: The Facts

Crystal meth first soared in popularity in the 1960’s, valued for its intense, powerful and addictive high. Its popularity continued for two decades until cocaine became more popular in the 1980’s, virtually erasing crystal meth from the drug scene completely. Now, crystal meth is back with a vengeance.

The following information lists some facts about the drug:

• Crystal meth sent 138,950 Americans to the emergency room in 2005.
• Crystal meth is manufactured using common household items like Coleman’s fuel, red phosphorus from matchbook strips and pseudoephedrine from cold medicines.
• The duration and intensity of a crystal meth high is unpredictable, as there is no set formula for cooking crystal meth.
• Crystal meth is commonly known as a cheap, easy drug.
• Crystal meth is typically smoked or injected (They forgot snorting).
• Its high is nearly immediate and can last up to 24 hours.
• A University of Michigan survey showed that about 5 percent of high school seniors used crystal meth once in their lifetime and 3 percent used it within the year preceding the study.
• Crystal meth is also known by the following street names: super ice, crysty, tina, hot ice, stovetop, quartz, L.A. glass, L.A. ice, crystal glass, blade and shards
• Crystal meth does take on an ice-like appearance.
• Crystal meth can cause increased heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure, stroke, convulsions, violent tendencies, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, extreme insomnia, long-term psychosis (even after the user has stopped using the drug), liver and kidney disease, collapsed veins, pneumonia and even death.
• About $100 worth of household materials will create about $1,000 worth of methamphetamine.
• The ingredient ratios within methamphetamine vary greatly, depending on the cook. There are no set recipes dictating the amounts to be used. Meth cooks are typically new and inexperienced, and are often high while creating a new batch of the drug. All of these factors mean the process of cooking meth can be very explosive. It has been a cause in many devastating building fires that caused damage to people or property.
• Crystal meth creates a sensation of bugs crawling under the skin. This leads meth users to constantly scratch and pick at their skin, causing scabs and sores.
• Meth labs have moved from rural areas to more metropolitan areas and even affluent subdivisions, from roadside motels to upscale hotels.
• Methamphetamine is harmful to the teeth. It eats away at them and causes them to rot. This creates a ghastly appearance known as “meth mouth.”
• Meth can afect a person’s libido and their ability to reproduce.
• Just as with crack cocaine, babies can be born addicted to meth if their mother used the drug while carrying the child in the womb.
• Meth is commonly used by athletes to heighten their endurance and physical performance, by blue collar workers to enable longer work hours and thus more income, and especially by partygoers to enhance the dance club experience.
• Because of its highly addictive qualities, meth has developed a reputation for capturing addicts after only one use. However, drug rehab or 12-step programs designed specifically for meth addicts can help a person overcome this difficult addiction.