Street Names
 | Crystal
| Ice
| Glass
Description
Methamphetamine was created as an artificial chemical substance.
Methamphetamine is a powder, sometimes made into capsules or pills.
Use
Amphetamines are taken orally or injected. However, the addition of
"ice," the slang name for crystallized methamphetamines
has promoted smoking as another mode of administration. Just as
"crack" is smokable cocaine, "ice" is smokable
methamphetamine. Intravenous use of methamphetamines is abused by a
subculture known as "speed freaks."
Dangers and Effects
Chronic abuse produces a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia and
is characterized by paranoia, picking at the skin, preoccupation
with one's own thoughts, and auditory and visual hallucinations.
Violent and erratic behavior is frequently seen among chronic
abusers of amphetamines, especially methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine, in all its forms, is highly addictive and toxic.
DEA Fast Facts
| Meth is made in America as well as internationally
Unlike heroin, cocaine, or Ecstasy, it is produced here within our
borders. We can’t blame other countries for this problem.
| Meth is not just a big city problem
Meth has become the most dangerous drug problem of small-town
America. Traffickers make and distribute the drug in some of our
country’s most rural areas. Twelve to fourteen year olds that live
in smaller towns are 104% more likely to use meth than those who
live in larger cities.
| "Tabletop" labs on the increase
One of the reasons meth is such a threat in rural America is because
it is cheap and easy to make. Drugs that can be bought over the
counter at local stores are mixed with other common ingredients to
make meth. Small labs to cook the drug can be set up on tables in
kitchens, countertops, garages or just about anywhere. Although
superlabs, operated by sophisticated traffickers still supply the
majority of meth, these smaller tabletop labs have increased
exponentially in the last decade, setting an alarming trend.
| Meth hurts not just individuals, but families, neighborhoods
and entire communities
Meth is a powerfully addictive and violent drug. Its use can result
in fatal kidney and lung disorders, brain damage, liver damage,
chronic depression, paranoia and other physical and mental
disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that meth causes more
damage to the brain than alcohol, heroin, or cocaine.
Environmental harm: The chemicals used to make meth are toxic, and
the lab operators routinely dump waste into streams, rivers, fields,
and sewage systems. The chemical vapors produced during cooking
permeate the walls and carpets of houses and buildings, making them
uninhabitable. Cleaning up these sites requires specialized training
and costs an average of $2,000-$4,000 per site in funds that come
out of the already-strained budgets of state and local police.
Hundreds of children are neglected every year after living with
parents who are meth “cooks.” More than 20% of the meth labs
seized last year had children present.
What
exactly does meth do to you? A sad, but clear way to understand the
dangers of this drug is to look at how one user was physically
damaged by her regular use of the drug.
For additional drug information and street names please visit http://www.streetdrugs.org
Information
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