Methamphetamine

Introduction

Throughout the world there are at least as many people who use synthetic substances, which includes ATS such as methamphetamine and ecstasy, as there are people who use heroin or cocaine. There are some suggestions that there are possibly as many people who use ATS as use both heroin and cocaine combined. The United Nations Office on Drug Control (UNODC) estimated that between 16 and 51 million people aged 15-64 used amphetamines-type substances, excluding ecstasy, at least once in 2007. The number who used ecstasy at least once was estimated at between 12 and 24 million worldwide. It was estimated that methamphetamine use accounted for between 54% and 59% of all amphetamine-type stimulant use (UNODC 2009). Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system and is similar in structure to amphetamine. Due to its high potential for abuse, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act, and is available only by prescription is not renewable. Although doctors can prescribe methamphetamine, its medical uses are limited and the doses prescribed are much lower than those normally consumed when abused. Most of the methamphetamine abused in the United States comes from foreign and domestic super labs, but also can occur in small clandestine laboratories, which endanger the people who produce, neighbors and the environment (Hohman and Wright, pp. 373).

The abuse of methamphetamine is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant which is an extremely serious problem in the United States. Although initially the drug is used primarily in Hawaii and the western parts of the United States, methamphetamine abuse continues to spread eastward and is increasingly affecting the urban and rural areas across the country. According to a national survey, approximately 10 million people in the United States have tried methamphetamine at least once in their life (Irvine, pp. 1811).

Discussion

The Americans have not finished methamphetamine, the drug inexpensive and highly addictive. Arrival of Asia to the United States in the late 80's, its consumption is confined to certain quarters. But it spreads quickly especially since it is easy to produce using decongestants sold in pharmacies. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, nearly 12 million people in the United States touched methamphetamine, or 5% of the population aged over 12 years. Faced with this problem, the authorities have made the production of "meth" more difficult and manufacturing laboratories are not as successful. But consumers have found a way to develop their drugs without getting caught. They improvise their laboratories in the back seat of their car. Oklahoma, Indiana, Michigan or Tennessee has all seen a significant increase of mobile laboratories that require little preparation developed. The process has also been called "shake and bake" because simply mix of pseudoephedrine (a decongestant) with household chemical products (ammonia, solvents) for the precious drugs (West, pp. 4).

Growth in Methamphetamine use in Western States

Methamphetamine has long been the drug most abused in the community of San Diego (California), but now presents a major problem in other parts of West and ...