what does crystal meth look like? methamphetamine (meth) is an illegal drug in the same class as...
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What does crystal meth look like?
Methamphetamine (meth) is an illegal drug in the same class as cocaine and other powerful street drugs. The FDA-approved brand-name medication is Desoxyn®.
What is methamphetamine?What is crystal meth?
Crystal meth is short for crystal methamphetamine. It is just one form of the drug methamphetamine.
Crystal meth is used by individuals of all ages and is most commonly used as a club drug.
What does methamphetamine look like?
Methamphetamine usually comes in the form of crystalline white powder that is odorless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol.
Other possible colors of the powder are brown, yellow-grey, orange and even pink. It can also be compressed into a pill form.
Crystal meth comes in clear chunky crystalsresembling glass or ice or shiny blue-white “rocks” of various sizes.
What is its origin?
Mexican drug trafficking organizations have become the primary manufacturers and distributors of methamphetamine to cities throughout the United States.
Domestic clandestine laboratory operators also produce and distribute meth but usually on a smaller scale. The methods used depend on the availability of precursor chemicals.
What is it made from?
Methamphetamine is a synthetic (man-made)chemical. It is manufactured in illegal, hiddenlaboratories mixing various forms of amphetamine or derivatives with other chemicals toboost its potency. Common pills for cold remedies are often used as the basis for production of the drug.
The meth “cook” extracts ingredients for those pills and to increase its strength combines theSubstance with chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze.
History of Crystal Meth
The history of Crystal Meth dates back to WWII. Immediately following World War II, Crystal Meth was extensively used to reduce fatigue and suppress appetite. Following the war era, Meth tablets, referred to as "work pills" were widely used in Japan. In the late 1960s, Crystal Meth became known as a dangerous drug that created substantial health threats to users, prompting the drug prevention slogan "speed kills".
Concerns about growing rates of Crystal Meth use prompted the passage of the 1974 Drug Control Act, which drastically limited the medicinal usage of all amphetamines and virtually eliminated its large scale abuse. During the late 1970s and through the early 1980s, the problem of Crystal Meth use in the U.S. was, for the most part, limited to several California cities (e.g., San Francisco and San Diego), since the primary manufacturers and suppliers of Crystal Meth at the time were members of Hells Angels and other motorcycle gangs headquartered in California.
In the mid-1980s Crystal Meth use escalated dramatically in Honolulu as "ice", a smokable form of the drug that was imported onto the island of Oahu from the Philippines.
History of Crystal Meth
Street names for methamphetamine
• Beannies• Chalk • Crank• Getgo• Mexican crack• Speed• Tick tick• Tweak• Wash• Yaba• Yellow powder
Street names for crystal meth
• Batu• Clade• Christy• Crystal• Hot ice• Ice• Quartz• Shards• Stove top• Tina
Effects of methamphetamine on people’s lives
Low-Intensity Meth AbuseLow-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine. They want the extra stimulation that meth provides so they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or aJob or they want the appetite-suppressant effect to lose weight .
Binge Meth AbuseBinge abusers smoke or inject meth with a needle. This allows them to receive a more intense dose of the drug and experience a stronger “rush” that is psychologically addictive
High-Intensity Meth AbuseHigh-intensity abusers are the addicts, often called “speed freaks.” their whole existence focuses on preventing the crash. To receive a desired “rush,” from the drug, they must take more and more of it.
Each successive meth high is less than the one before it, leading the meth addict into addiction.
Stages of the Meth “Experience”
The RushThe initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting meth. The rush can last forup to 30 minutes .
The HighSometimes called the “shoulder”. During the high, the abuser feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative. They may also become intensely focused on insignificantItems. The high can last 4-26 hours.
The BingeThe uncontrolled use of a drug or alcohol. The abusers urge to maintain the high by smoking or injecting meth. The binge can last 3-15 days. During the binge, the user becomeshyperactive both mentally and physically.
TweakingThe meth user is most dangerous when experiencing this phase. It is reached at the end of a binge when meth no longer provides a rush or a high. The abuser then loses their senseOf identity and the user is often in a completely psychotic state.
The CrashThe crash happens when the body shuts down, unable to cope with the effects of the drug.This results in a long period of sleep that can last one to three days.
Meth HangoverAfter the crash, the abuser returns to a deteriorated state. They are usually starved, dehydrated, and exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. This stage can last from 2-14 days. This leads to enforced addiction, as the “solution” to these feelings is to take more meth.
WithdrawalOften 30-90 days can pass after the last time the abuser has used meth and they realizethey are in withdrawal. First they become depressed, then crave more hits of meth, and the user often becomes suicidal. Meth withdrawal is very painful and difficult and mostabusers revert back to meth addiction.
What are meth’s overdose effects?
High doses may result in death from stroke, heart attack, or multiple organ problems caused by overheating.
Which drugs cause similar effects to meth?
Cocaine and potent stimulant pharmaceuticals, such as amphetamines and methylphenidate, produce similar effects.
What is its legal status in the United States?
Methamphetamine is a Schedule II stimulant under the Controlled Substances Act, which means that it has a high potential for abuse and limited medical use.
It is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. Today there is only one legal meth product, Desoxyn®. It is currently marketed in 5-milligram tablets and has very limited use in the treatment of obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).