Today, methamphetamine is second only to alcohol and marijuana as the drug used most frequently in many Western and Midwestern states. Seizures of dangerous laboratory materials have increased dramatically—in some states, fivefold. In response, many special task forces and local and Federal initiatives have been developed to target methamphetamine production and use. Legislation and negotiation with earlier source areas for precursor substances have also reduced the availability of the raw materials needed to make the drug.⁽¹⁾

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug with potent central nervous system stimulant properties. In the 1960s, methamphetamine pharmaceutical products were widely available and extensively diverted and abused. The 1971 placement of methamphetamine into Schedule II of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) and the removal of methamphetamine injectable formulations from the United States market, combined with a better appreciation for its high abuse potential, led to a drastic reduction in the abuse of this drug. However, a resurgence of methamphetamine abuse occurred in the 1980s and it is currently considered a major drug of abuse. The widespread availability of methamphetamine today is largely fueled by illicit production in large and small clandestine laboratories throughout the United States and illegal production and importation from Mexico. In some areas of the country (especially on the West Coast), methamphetamine abuse has outpaced both heroin and cocaine.⁽²⁾

The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.⁽³⁾

Methamphetamine is in Schedule II of the CSA.

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Speed, Meth, Ice, Crystal, Chalk, Crank, Tweak, Uppers, Black Beauties, Glass, Bikers Coffee, Methlies Quick, Poor Man's Cocaine, Chicken Feed, Shabu, Crystal Meth, Stove Top, Trash, Go-Fast, Yaba, and Yellow Bam

As a powerful stimulant, methamphetamine, even in small doses, can increase wakefulness and physical activity and decrease appetite. Methamphetamine can also cause a variety of cardiovascular problems, including rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, and increased blood pressure. Hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) and convulsions may occur with methamphetamine overdose, and if not treated immediately, can result in death.⁽⁴⁾

Most of the pleasurable effects of methamphetamine are believed to result from the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is involved in motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function, and is a common mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse. The elevated release of dopamine produced by methamphetamine is also thought to contribute to the drug’s deleterious effects on nerve terminals in the brain.⁽⁵⁾

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Long-term methamphetamine abuse has many negative consequences, including addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic abusers exhibit symptoms that can include anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping under the skin). Psychotic symptoms can sometimes last for months or years after methamphetamine abuse has ceased, and stress has been shown to precipitate spontaneous recurrence of methamphetamine psychosis in formerly psychotic methamphetamine abusers. With chronic abuse, tolerance to methamphetamine’s pleasurable effects can develop. In an effort to intensify the desired effects, abusers may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake. Withdrawal from methamphetamine occurs when a chronic abuser stops taking the drug; symptoms of withdrawal include depression, anxiety, fatigue, and an intense craving for the drug. Chronic methamphetamine abuse also significantly changes the brain. Specifically, brain imaging studies have demonstrated alterations in the activity of the dopamine system that are associated with reduced motor speed and impaired verbal learning. Recent studies in chronic methamphetamine abusers have also revealed severe structural and functional changes in areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in chronic methamphetamine abusers. Fortunately, some of the effects of chronic methamphetamine abuse appear to be, at least partially, reversible. A recent neuroimaging study showed recovery in some brain regions following prolonged abstinence (2 years, but not 6 months). This was associated with improved performance on motor and verbal memory tests. However, function in other brain regions did not display recovery even after 2 years of abstinence, indicating that some methamphetamine-induced changes are very long-lasting. Moreover, the increased risk of stroke from the abuse of methamphetamine can lead to irreversible damage to the brain. ^(6)(7)(8)(9)

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Transportation of methamphetamine from Mexico appears to be increasing, as evidenced by increasing seizures along the U.S.-Mexico border. The amount of methamphetamine seized at or between U.S.-Mexico border ports of entry (POEs) increased more than 75 percent overall from 2002 (1,129.8 kg), to 2003 (1,733.1 kg), and 2004 (1,984.6 kg).⁽¹⁰⁾

The sharp increase in methamphetamine seizures at or between U.S.-Mexico border POEs most likely reflects increased methamphetamine production in Mexico since 2002. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary transporters of Mexico-produced methamphetamine to the United States. They use POEs primarily in Arizona and southern Texas as entry points to smuggle methamphetamine into the country from Mexico. Previously, California POEs were the primary entry points used by these Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) and criminal groups; however, increasing methamphetamine production in the interior of Mexico has resulted in Mexican DTOs and criminal groups shifting some smuggling routes eastward. Methamphetamine transportation from Mexico to the United States by these DTOs and criminal groups is likely to increase further in the near term as production in Mexico-based methamphetamine laboratories continues to increase in order to offset declines in domestic production.⁽¹¹⁾

The trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine--a leading drug threat in western states since the early 1990s--have gradually expanded eastward, reaching the point where the drug now impacts every region of the country, although to a much lesser extent in the Northeast Region. In the early 1990s methamphetamine trafficking was an evident threat to California drug markets such as Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. By the mid-1990s that threat had expanded to other drug markets, including Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, and Yakima, Washington. By the late 1990s and early 2000s--as methamphetamine production and distribution remained very high in western states--methamphetamine trafficking continued its eastward expansion (see 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment, Appendix A, Map 4), supported by distribution by Mexican criminal groups and high levels of local production.⁽¹²⁾

The eastward expansion of the drug took a particular toll on central states such as Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Increased methamphetamine trafficking in these states (see 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment, Appendix C, Chart 2), often in rural areas, is evidenced by a 126 percent increase (1,601 to 3,620) in reported methamphetamine laboratory seizures and an 87 percent increase (10,145 to 18,951) in methamphetamine-related treatment admissions from 1999 through 2003. Since 2003 methamphetamine trafficking has expanded farther east to areas such as southern Michigan, Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. The eastward expansion of methamphetamine trafficking and abuse has recently slowed because increasing regulation of the sale and use of chemicals used in methamphetamine production, particularly pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, has substantially decreased domestic production. However, Mexican DTOs and criminal groups have supplanted decreases in domestic production with methamphetamine that they are producing in Mexico. If they are successful, methamphetamine trafficking will spread farther eastward to encompass the entire United States.⁽¹³⁾

Methamphetamine laboratories also contaminate surrounding property. It is estimated that 1 pound of methamphetamine produced in a clandestine lab yields 5 to 6 pounds of hazardous waste. The resultant environmental damage to property, water supplies, farmland, and vegetation where labs have operated costs local jurisdictions thousands of dollars in clean up and makes some areas unusable for extended periods of time. Damage to some areas is extensive. For example, U.S. Forest Service officers have encountered tree “kills” in areas surrounding small toxic labs (STLs), and ranchers in Arizona have reported suspicious cattle deaths in areas downstream from labs.⁽¹⁴⁾

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According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 11.7 million Americans ages 12 and older reported trying methamphetamine at least once during their lifetimes, representing 4.9% of the population ages 12 and older. Approximately 1.4 million (0.6%) reported past year methamphetamine use and 583,000 (0.2%) reported past month methamphetamine use.⁽¹⁵⁾

Among students surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring the Future study, 3.1% of eighth graders, 4.1% of tenth graders, and 4.5% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of methamphetamine. In 2004, these percentages were 2.5%, 5.3%, and 6.2%, respectively.⁽¹⁶⁾

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys high school students on several risk factors including drug and alcohol use. Results of the 2005 survey indicate that 6.2% of high school students reported using methamphetamine at some point in their lifetimes. This is down from 7.6% in 2003 and 9.8% in 2001.⁽¹⁷⁾

Available data on typical methamphetamine users reveal that most are white, are in their 20’s or 30’s, have a high school education or better, and are employed full- or part-time. Methamphetamine is used by housewives, students, club-goers, truckers, and a growing number of others. Almost as many women as men use methamphetamine (55 percent male, 45 percent female.)⁽¹⁸⁾

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Between October 1, 2004 and January 11, 2005, there were 1,136 Federal offenders sentenced for methamphetamine-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 95.9% of these methamphetamine cases involved a trafficking offense. Between January 12, 2005 and September 30, 2005, there were 3,703 Federal offenders sentenced for methamphetamine-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 97.5% of the cases involved trafficking.⁽¹⁹⁾

In 2005, the DEA seized 2,148.6 kgs of methamphetamine. For prior years, click here.

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Methamphetamine is a Schedule II narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The chemicals that are used to produce methamphetamine are also controlled under the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 (MCA). This legislation broadened the controls on listed chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine, increased penalties for the trafficking and manufacturing of methamphetamine and listed chemicals, and expanded the controls of products containing the licit chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine (PPA).⁽²⁰⁾

Signed in October 2000, the Children's Health Act of 2000 includes provisions dealing with methamphetamine prevention, production, enforcement, treatment and abuse.⁽²¹⁾

In December 2005, the House of Representatives passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005, the first step in enacting a nationwide measure to require drugs containing ephedrine, pseudoepedrine, and phenylpropanolamine to be kept behind pharmacy counters and purchased only after identification and sign in of buyer, as well as limit purchases to no more than 9 grams per 30-day period. The legislation also adds further restrictions on the impact on meth precursor chemicals through increased accountability to Federal regulators at all points of distribution, and enhances penalties for persons manufacturing meth in areas where children reside.⁽²²⁾

On March 9, 2006, President Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, which includes provisions to strengthen Federal, state, and local efforts to combat the spread of methamphetamine.⁽²³⁾

Unlike imported drugs such as heroin or cocaine, methamphetamine is easy to produce domestically. It is synthesized from precursor chemicals using relatively easy production methods that are commonly available on the Internet or in underground publications; anyone with high school chemistry experience can “cook” methamphetamine. Many of the base chemicals are household or farm products that are not feasible to regulate. However, other elements (ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products, and anhydrous ammonia) have come under serious scrutiny, and Federal and State legislation now monitors their sale and limits their availability.⁽²⁴⁾

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Treatment Publications and Research | Treatment and Patient Education | Treatment Facility Locator

Click here to see high resolution photos of methamphetamine>>

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	Meth Price/Purity Analysis
	Environmental Impacts of Methamphetamine
	Methamphetamine and Drug Endangered Children
	Helping Children exposed to Clandestine Methamphetamine Sites
	Meth Resources
	Tips for Teens: The Truth about Methamphetamine
	What to do if you encounter a Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory
	Where to Find Treatment
	Maps of Methamphetamine Lab Seizures
	Clandestine Laboratory Indicators
	National Institute of Drug Abuse Research Report on Methamphetamine
	National Institute of Drug Abuse Quick Facts about Methamphetamine
	ONDCP Information about Methamphetamine
	What to do if you encounter a Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory

1. Hunt, D., S. Kuck, and L. Truitt, Methamphetamine Use: Lessons Learned, final report to the National Institute of Justice, February 2006 (NCJ 209730), available at www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209730.pdf.
2. Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/meth.htm
3. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research Report - Methamphetamine Abuse and Addiction, www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/methamph/methamph.html
4-9. Ibid.
10. National Drug Intelligence Center, National Drug Threat Assessment 2006.
11-13. Ibid.
14. Hunt, D., S. Kuck, and L. Truitt, Methamphetamine Use: Lessons Learned, final report to the National Institute of Justice, February 2006 (NCJ 209730), available at www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209730.pdf.
15. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, September 2005
16. National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future 2005 Data From In-School Surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-Grade Students, December 2005
17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005, June 2006
18. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Journal No. 254 • July 2006, Methamphetamine Abuse: Challenges for Law Enforcement and Communities
19. United States Sentencing Commission, 2005 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, June 2006
20. Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, Provisions of the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996
21. Government Printing Office, Public Law 106-310, October 2000
22. Hunt, D., S. Kuck, and L. Truitt, Methamphetamine Use: Lessons Learned, final report to the National Institute of Justice, February 2006 (NCJ 209730), available at www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209730.pdf.
23. Government Printing Office, USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-177), March 2006
24. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Journal No. 254 • July 2006, Methamphetamine Abuse: Challenges for Law Enforcement and Communities. Tennessee, for example, found legislation placing over-the-counter cold medications containing ephedrine/pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter reduced the number of “Mom-and-Pop” or small local labs seized from more than 1,500 in 2004 to 955 in 2005, with the most dramatic reductions seen in rural counties. (Data presented by Thomas Scollon, Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs, Nashville, Tennessee, at the Evaluation of Task Forces Cluster Meeting held at the National Institute of Justice in Washington, DC, in January 2006.)