Methamphetamine

By: Amanda Pearl and Samantha Lampton

Methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive substance that affects the central nervous system. It is as addictive as crack and cocaine but is 10 times as strong and 10 times as dangerous.

What is meth?

•Speed•Meth•Crank•Tweak•Black beauties•Bikers coffee• Poor man cocaine •Crystal meth

Street Names

• Powder• Crystal• Tablets

Forms of Meth

Meth is made from a very easy recipe and can be cooked and ready in 6 to 8 hours in a meth lab. The main ingredients used in making meth is ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which are chemicals found in common cold and allergy medicines.

How is it made?

Labs are found in rural, city and suburban residences; barns, garages and other outbuildings; back rooms of businesses; apartments; hotel and motel rooms; storage facilities; vacant buildings; and vehicles.

Where are the labs found?

•Ephedrine (Cold Tablets)•Pseudoephedrine (Cold Tablets)•Acetone•Alcohol (Isopropyl or Rubbing)•Toluene (Brake Cleaner)•Ether (Engine Starter)•Sulfuric Acid (Drain Cleaner)•Methanol/Alcohol (Gasoline Additives)

•Salt (Table/Rock)•Lithium (Batteries)•Anhydrous Ammonia (Farm Fertilizer)•Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)•Red Phosphorus (Matches/Road Flares)•Muriatic Acid•Iodine (Teat Dip or Flakes/Crystal)•Trichloroethane (Dun Scrubber)•Sodium Metal

Ingredients in Meth

Meth lab before explosion Meth lab after explosion After meth lab explosion

Lots of the chemicals in meth are highly explosive. One wrong step could blow the whole lab up.

Highly Explosive

•Insomnia•Loss of appetite•Dilated pupils•Excessive talking•Excessive sweating•Hyperactivity

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF METH

•Malnutrition•Psychiatric disorders•Fatal lung and kidney disorders•Violent and/or irrational behavior•Immune system deficiency•Tooth decay•Hair loss

Meth mouth

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF METH

David Parnell is 39 years old, married and has seven children. He is also a methamphetamine and suicide survivor.

David began using marijuana at the age of thirteen. He then progressed to harder drugs eventually discovering methamphetamine.

DAVE’S STORY

He was addicted to meth for seven years before attempting suicide by shooting himself under the chin with a SKS assault rifle, literally blowing his face apart.

Dave before

Dave in the hospital Dave

today

Dave’s Story continued

His injuries were so severe he was written off as deceased by the sheriff's department while in transit to the hospital. He has had over 15 surgeries and still has many more to go.

David is now sober after spending 23 years on drugs.  He has personally shared his story in 13 states, Canada, and England.

Dave’s Story continued

In 2004, 1.4 million persons aged 12 or older (0.6 percent of the population) had used methamphetamine in the past year, and 600,000 (0.2 percent) had used it in the past month.

How big of a problem?

The number of past month methamphetamine users who met criteria for illicit drug dependence or abuse in the past 12 months increased from 164,000 (27.5 percent of past month methamphetamine users) in 2002 to 346,000 (59.3 percent) in 2004

How big of a problem?

Meth is a amphetamine, through its stimulant effects, produces a positive feeling, but when it wears off it leaves a person with the opposite feelings.

WHY IS IT ADDICTING?

Pictures

Resources

• facingthedragon.org• stopthedrugwar.org• chm.bris.ac.uk• mappsd.org/Forms%20of%20Meth• getsmartaboutdrugs.com• kailspell.com/stopmeth/made• 247quoteus.com• jerrypearce.com• democraticunderground.com• meth-kills.org/faqs/how-is-meth-made• oas.samhsa.gov• kci.org•media.ebaumsworld.com•zombiecoterie.blogspot.com• http://www.coloradobrownfieldsfoundation.org/sitebuilder/images/materials_pic-192x132.png• ci.morris.mn.us• methtaskforce.org