Methamphetamine
Original posted on Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Good news is that a new analysis of data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that use of methamphetamine declined between 2002 and 2005 among persons age 12 or older. According to the study, in 2005, approximately 1.3 million persons ages 12 or older (0.5 percent) had used methamphetamine in the past year; 741,000 were male and 556,000 were female.
The number of persons who used methamphetamine for the first time in the prior 12 months did not differ significantly between 2002 (299,000 persons) and 2004 (318,000 persons) but did decrease significantly between 2004 and 2005. In 2004, an estimated 318,000 persons aged 12 or older first tried methamphetamine in the year prior to the survey compared with 192,000 persons in 2005.
Part of this decrease can be attributed to the massive anti-meth awareness campaigns in recent years promoted by both the public and private sectors. Many younger people have been deterred from using meth when they see the damage it causes to someone in such a short time, including their appearance. Another major contributor, which has also resulted in a significant decrease in the number of meth labs busted, has been the fact that several states have taken a primary ingredient (ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) and put products containing behind the pharmacy counter. Buyers of pseudoephedrine have been limited in quantity and frequency and have had to sign a log in many cases as well as show picture identification.
SAMHA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) showed that in 2004, nearly 8 perccent of all treatment admissions were for amphetamine or methamphetamine abuse. Forty-five percent of treatment admissions in 2004 for methamphetamine/amphetamine use were for women.
What is Meth?
Methamphetamine is either snorted, smoked or injected. Meth users may become addicted quickly, needing higher doses and more often.
Methamphetamine is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse. Some forms are still sold as prescriptions, often to active young kids who become addicted early in life. It can be made in small, illegal laboratories, where its production endangers the people in the labs, neighbors, and the environment.
Street methamphetamine is referred to by many names, such as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." Methamphetamine hydrochloride, clear chunky crystals resembling ice, which can be inhaled by smoking, is often referred to as "ice" or "crystal."
Effects
Some of the effects of methamphetamine abuse may include irritability, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, and cardiovascular collapse and death. Long-term effects may include paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, memory loss, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and severe dental problems.
Meth addicts will often go many days without sleeping because of the powerful stimulant effects of the drug. This sleep deprivation, along with the combination of toxins themselves, are what cause the hallucinations and paranoia.
Article by Eric Mitchell
Good news is that a new analysis of data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that use of methamphetamine declined between 2002 and 2005 among persons age 12 or older. According to the study, in 2005, approximately 1.3 million persons ages 12 or older (0.5 percent) had used methamphetamine in the past year; 741,000 were male and 556,000 were female.
The number of persons who used methamphetamine for the first time in the prior 12 months did not differ significantly between 2002 (299,000 persons) and 2004 (318,000 persons) but did decrease significantly between 2004 and 2005. In 2004, an estimated 318,000 persons aged 12 or older first tried methamphetamine in the year prior to the survey compared with 192,000 persons in 2005.
Part of this decrease can be attributed to the massive anti-meth awareness campaigns in recent years promoted by both the public and private sectors. Many younger people have been deterred from using meth when they see the damage it causes to someone in such a short time, including their appearance. Another major contributor, which has also resulted in a significant decrease in the number of meth labs busted, has been the fact that several states have taken a primary ingredient (ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) and put products containing behind the pharmacy counter. Buyers of pseudoephedrine have been limited in quantity and frequency and have had to sign a log in many cases as well as show picture identification.
SAMHA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) showed that in 2004, nearly 8 perccent of all treatment admissions were for amphetamine or methamphetamine abuse. Forty-five percent of treatment admissions in 2004 for methamphetamine/amphetamine use were for women.
What is Meth?
Methamphetamine is either snorted, smoked or injected. Meth users may become addicted quickly, needing higher doses and more often.
Methamphetamine is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse. Some forms are still sold as prescriptions, often to active young kids who become addicted early in life. It can be made in small, illegal laboratories, where its production endangers the people in the labs, neighbors, and the environment.
Street methamphetamine is referred to by many names, such as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." Methamphetamine hydrochloride, clear chunky crystals resembling ice, which can be inhaled by smoking, is often referred to as "ice" or "crystal."
Effects
Some of the effects of methamphetamine abuse may include irritability, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, and cardiovascular collapse and death. Long-term effects may include paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, memory loss, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and severe dental problems.
Meth addicts will often go many days without sleeping because of the powerful stimulant effects of the drug. This sleep deprivation, along with the combination of toxins themselves, are what cause the hallucinations and paranoia.
Article by Eric Mitchell
Labels: methamphetamine
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