These numbers are significantly higher than the estimated 4.9 million users that were reported in the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
How Prevalent is Meth Abuse?Īccording to the National Institute on Health, an estimated 13 million people regularly abuse methamphetamine. Most of the time, crystal meth is either:Įach of these methods of use can produce almost immediate euphoria that will last up to 6 hours depending on the potency of the drug and various other factors.
The taste is rather bitter and this defrays some people from consuming crystal meth by mouth-a slowed response and reduced overall effects are also responsible for a general desire to avoid oral consumption although the drug is often found Molly or similar substance and is thus consumed orally without regard. Some prefer to consume methamphetamine orally by eating the drug or mixing it with alcohol and drinking it. The crystalline powdery substance is easily dissolved in liquids such as alcohol or water. The chemical structure of the drug resembles the chemical structure of amphetamine, but don’t take this similarity as a measure of safety-methamphetamine effects the central nervous system much more prominently and more quickly than amphetamine and, therefore, is highly dangerous. In its purest form, methamphetamine is an odorless and colorless substance but when in some cases it can be pink, yellow or cloudy in color due to changes in the method in which it is produced in the laboratory. Department of Health and Human Services, “methamphetamine is commonly known as “speed,” “meth,” and “chalk.” It is also sometimes called ice, glass or crystal due to the shape, color and texture of the drug which resembles shards of glass when it has been crushed up. Drug Abuse and Regulation Control Act of 1970.Īccording to the U.S. Unfortunately, drug use surged in the 1950s and 1960s which led to frequent injection use of methamphetamine and the subsequent outlawing of the drug as part of the U.S. It was later believed that the drug could be used as a treatment of obesity in patients who did not respond well to other medications or treatment.
Paranoia and anxiety are common side effects of methamphetamine use.įirst produced in a laboratory by a German chemist, methamphetamine was thought to have a valid use as a bronchial inhibitor that would help open airways in patients who were having trouble breathing.