Methamphetamine Addiction in Women

Introduction

The illicit use of methamphetamine in women has emerged in recent years as an important public health concern. The drug is a strongly addictive central nervous system stimulant that has shown widespread abuse globally. It is easy to synthesize from compounds that are readily available, inexpensive, over-the-counter ingredients. This paper discusses methamphetamine addiction in women in a concise and comprehensive way.

Methamphetamine Addiction in Women

Barr (pp. 34-41) mentions that in the United States, methamphetamine is classified as a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Schedule II drug, which means that it has high potential for abuse, but can be made available in some medically necessary circumstances. Prescriptions for methamphetamine are relatively rare, are nonrefillable, and require careful documentation. A high level of caution is placed in case of women. Special security is placed on storage of the drug, and quotas are placed on manufacturing. In many other nations, methamphetamine is not used medically at all and is only available for research purposes. Often, the maximum penalty for production and distribution is life imprisonment.

The street form of methamphetamine that is of low purity is commonly known as “speed.” It is usually snorted nasally, pressed into a pill and ingested, or dissolved in water and injected intravenously. “Ice,” “crystal meth,” or “Tina” is purified methamphetamine and has a longer-lasting high (Barr, pp. 34-41). It is commonly smoked in a glass pipe or in aluminum foil heated by a flame underneath, a method known as “chasing the white dragon.” Like speed, it is also frequently injected intravenously.

The World Health Organization reported that more than 35 million people (15 million women) worldwide regularly abused methamphetamine in 1996, a prevalence second only to cannabis use. Approximately 60 percent of these users live in Asia. Among 15- to 64-year-olds, the highest prevalence of methamphetamine or amphet-amine-type stimulant ...