Meth 101

A PREVENTION AND EDUCATION TOOLKIT

FOR COMMUNITIES
MidSOUTH CENTER FOR
PREVENTION AND TRAINING
 Meth 101

TABLE OF CONTENTS
METH 101
Meth: Get the Facts 3
What Is Meth? 4
How Has Meth Evolved over Time? 4
The New Meth 5

HEALTH DANGERS
Why Should We Be Concerned About Meth? 5
Effects on the Human Body 6
Overdosing 7
Meth’s Addictive Properties 8
Signs and Symptoms of Meth Use 8
How Meth Destroys Lives 9
Meth Labs in the US 9
Impact on Children 9

METH USE
Meth is Cheap to Obtain 10
Who Uses Meth? 11
Teen Meth Use 11
Arkansas Trends 12
How Is Meth Getting into the Country? 13
Outlook 14

PREVENTION
Importance of Prevention Efforts 14
Meth Uses Leads to Increased Crime 15
What Does Meth Cost Communities? 15
Access to Meth Treatment Is Uneven? 15

METH MYTHS 16

REFERENCES 18
 Meth 101

A PREVENTION AND EDUCATION

TOOLKIT FOR COMMUNITIES
METH: GET THE FACTS in methamphetamine use. In Arkansas,
Highly addictive, widely available, and cheap, methamphetamine presents as great a problem
methamphetamine (meth) is an illegal drug as opioids, and law enforcement is seeing
commonly used in the United States. Meth methamphetamine cut with fentanyl.
production and distribution methods have
evolved since the late 1990s and early 2000s, In the past decade, the chemical makeup
making it an ongoing threat to people and of meth has changed. Methamphetamines
communities all over the country. This today are not the same as methamphetamines
document offers facts about meth and the ten years ago. Production has transformed,
people who use it, as well as its human and creating a more potent drug that can quickly
environmental costs. The good news is that lead to psychosis.
treatment for meth use disorder works, and
recovery is possible. As a campaign for the Department of Adult,
Aging, and Behavior Studies in partnership
Methamphetamine is an illicit stimulant that with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s
has become cheap and accessible in the MidSOUTH, Me Over Meth offers drug
United States. According to research from eduMecation, prevention resources, and
Millennium Health, Arkansas leads the nation support for communities across Arkansas.

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Undoing methamphetamine substance use in later, he synthesized methamphetamine. In

Arkansas will take a community effort, and it is 1919, Akira Ogata discovered a way to break
time for Arkansans to step up. ephedrine down into a crystal-like form. This
became the first known formula for crystal meth.
WHAT IS METH?
Methamphetamine is a synthetic amphetamine- The first amphetamine known to be used in
type stimulant with a high potential for abuse the United States was developed as a nasal
and addiction. Illegally produced meth appears decongestant in 1929. The Benzedrine inhaler
as a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline was sold over the counter throughout the
powder that dissolves easily in water or 1930s and ’40s. During World War II, pilots
alcohol. Methamphetamine hydrochloride, the used meth to increase their endurance on long
crystallized form of the drug, is often called missions. The Japanese, German, British, and
“ice,” “crystal,” or “glass” because it is clear, U.S. military supplied soldiers with meth tablets
chunky crystals resemble those substances. to help them stay alert and be willing to take
The names for meth in pill form include risks. Starting in the 1950s, methamphetamine
“uppers” and “yaba.” “Yaba” means “crazy was legally manufactured in the United States.
pill” in the Thai language. It is a tablet of meth People used it for weight control and to boost
combined with caffeine. Other slang terms energy. Truck drivers would use it to stay awake
for meth include “speed,” “tweak,” “go-fast,” for long shifts, and athletes would use it to
“crank,” “rocket fuel,” and “tina.” increase their stamina.

Meth can be snorted, smoked, injected, or In the 1980s, the U.S. government
orally ingested. In 2020, the DEA reported an tightened the regulation of ephedrine,
increase in methamphetamine pills. one of the ingredients necessary to make
meth. Consequently, people illegally
Methamphetamine is known to lead to manufacturing meth began to use the
psychosis, violence, impaired thinking-related stimulant pseudoephedrine to make the drug.
skills, and life-altering addiction (“Meth Pseudoephedrine is one of the ingredients in
Research,” 2019). over-the-counter cold medications.

HOW HAS METH EVOLVED OVER TIME? With the growth of the internet in the 1990s,
Methamphetamine was first developed in the recipes for making meth spread, and small
Japan. In 1885, Nagai Nagayoshi discovered labs began to dot the U.S. landscape. Meth
that ephedra, a plant used to treat breathing labs were often found in rural communities,
conditions such as asthma, also contained where their presence went unnoticed. Meth
ephedrine, a chemical stimulant. Eight years was “cooked” from products and medications

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that were commonly found in farm supply, made from phenyl-2-propanone (P2P).
grocery, drug, and hardware stores. Unlike ephedrine, P2P is used in too many
sectors to be regulated, among them
Meth labs and the meth they produced were racing fuel, tanning, gold mining, perfume,
ravaging rural communities. In 2004, an and photography according to reporting
estimated 12 million people—4.9 percent of from The Atlantic (Quinones, 2021). When
people in the United States over the age of methamphetamine is smuggled into the
twelve—had tried meth at least once.6 Experts United States in powder or liquid form,
speculated that number would keep rising domestic conversion laboratories transform
without intervention. Policy makers realized it into crystal methamphetamine. These
that regulating the sale of cold medicines laboratories do not require a significant
with pseudoephedrine could slow the amount of equipment, so they can be small
manufacturing of meth. in size and thus easily concealed, which
presents challenges to law enforcement
The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic agencies. Methamphetamine pressed into a
Act of 2005 restricted the availability of pill form intended to resemble ecstasy has
pseudoephedrine. The act required pharmacies also recently emerged, potentially in an effort
and retail stores to move products containing to make methamphetamine more appealing
pseudoephedrine behind the counter and to people who haven’t tried it before. As with
limited the quantity that customers could other illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine,
purchase in a single visit. Several medications methamphetamine is also sometimes laced
that could once be purchased over the counter with fentanyl.
now required a prescription. Meth production
began to drop in the United States. Recently, WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED
however, meth smuggled from Mexico has led ABOUT METH?
to a resurgence of addiction nationwide. Meth use has a severe and costly impact
on human health, the environment, and
FROM EPHEDRINE TO P2P: rates of crime in communities. It also costs
THE NEW METH human lives. Communities suffer when the
In the 2000s, the United States and Mexico drug devastates the lives of individuals
started to curb the sale of ephedrine. You who use it. Anyone can become addicted,
may have noticed restrictions in purchasing regardless of their profession, race, gender, or
ephedrine likely in response to increases in socioeconomic class. Straight-A students will
methamphetamine use in your area. As a result steal from their parents to get meth. Children
of those restrictions, illicit chemists developed who live in households where meth is used are
a new, cleaner version of methamphetamine often endangered, hungry, and neglected.

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with solvents and other chemicals. Since 2013,

the samples have become about 95 percent
pure. The more potent samples cause smaller
amounts of the drug to have a more significant
effect on the human body.

Brain: Using meth releases a flood of

dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
causing an intense high for hours. However, the
high is followed by a crash, which leaves users
irritable, depressed, and unable to sleep. After
a binge, the individual may not sleep for days,
leading to hallucinations, paranoia, depression,
and anxiety.

Experts estimate that the “new meth”

Meth is accessible—it’s often cheaper to buy made from P2P may cause psychosis much
than cocaine. Even though the key ingredients quicker than methamphetamines made from
used to make meth are no longer readily ephedrine. Either way, meth use kills your
available in the United States, they can be brain’s dopamine cells, leading to psychosis.
smuggled from China or India to Mexico. While some of this damage can eventually be
The drug is illegally manufactured in Mexico, undone with treatment, it takes about a year
and then Mexican cartels smuggle it into the without substance use.
United States across the southwestern border
using established supply networks for other Heart: Heart disease is the second leading
drugs. Meth crystals that are smuggled into cause of death for meth users. “Meth can raise
the United States in liquids are recrystallized in your blood pressure, constrict blood vessels,
illegal conversion labs. Conversion labs don’t speed up heart rate, and cause your heart’s
produce meth; instead, they convert powder muscles to collapse” (“Meth Symptoms,” 2022).
meth into crystal meth or recrystallize meth
that has been dissolved in water, alcohol, or Immune System: Meth use weakens the
vehicle fluids. immune system.

Meth samples seized by the DEA have proven Kidneys: Likely due to toxins in meth, long-
increasingly pure and potent. In 2001, the term meth use can cause your kidneys to
samples were 40 percent pure meth combined break down.

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Teeth: The derogatory term “meth mouth”

refers to advanced gum disease and tooth
decay which causes teeth to crumble or fall out.
It is unclear to what degree this phenomenon is
due to ingesting chemicals in meth or from long
periods of poor oral hygiene.

Skin: Meth use can cause extreme itching,

leading people who use meth to scratch
sores into their face and skin. This type of
hallucination is called formication, or the
physical hallucination leading users to think
they are covered in insects. When under the
influence of meth, users have a higher pain
threshold, allowing them to scratch more causing the user to go to sleep due
aggressively than if they were sober. to overstimulation. Overdosing from
methamphetamine, however, is largely due
Overdosing to heatstroke and heart failure. As the body’s
In Arkansas, overdose from methamphetamine temperature rises, organs shut down. During
is a problem. The Arkansas State Crime Lab a meth overdose, it is also common for a
shows a significant increase in deaths related to sharp increase in blood pressure, leading to
methamphetamine, fentanyl, and co-occurring hemorrhage. There are currently no antidotes
use of methamphetamine and fentanyl over the for methamphetamine overdose, although
past decade. researchers from UAMS are working on
a drug that would counter the effects of
In 2022 qualitative research from the methamphetamine use disorder.
Harm Reduction Journal, consistent
methamphetamine users separate overdosing As meth has become more potent, people
from “over-ramping.” Over-ramping is distributing it have found more ways to conceal
described as a state after methamphetamine it. Meth has been found hidden in various car
use where the body becomes overstimulated, parts and dissolved in vehicle fluids.

The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) reports drug overdose deaths in several categories. The
psychostimulant category includes methamphetamine, Ritalin, caffeine, and amphetamines. In
2016, 7,542 deaths were reported, just a year later, that number increased to 10,333.

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METH IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE high that has a slower onset but can last for up
Meth is extremely addictive because it to twelve hours. Swallowing meth pills leads
enhances a person’s mood and physical to a high in fifteen to twenty-five minutes, but
energy by releasing high levels of the generally, people who swallow or snort meth
neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and don’t experience the euphoric rush; they use it
norepinephrine in the brain. It also to stay awake or suppress their appetite.
raises a person’s adrenaline levels, which
increases energy. Meth can be smoked, Because meth is so addictive, it takes over
injected, snorted, or swallowed in pill form. people’s lives as they pursue incredible
The way it is ingested affects how quickly highs that are followed by overwhelming
it takes effect and the length of the high it crashes—and then they desperately attempt
produces. Smoking or injecting meth causes to recapture the high. Experts say it’s not
an immediate euphoric “rush” that is followed uncommon for people who use meth to
by an intense “high,” where a person feels commit crimes that are out of character, such
confident and energetic for four to sixteen as stealing from family and friends, to obtain
hours. Snorting meth produces a more mellow money for meth.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF METH USE

If you suspect someone is using meth, get a professional substance use disorder
assessment from a school counselor, county social service agency, or reputable
treatment facility.

The following symptoms can indicate meth use:

• loss of appetite—extreme, rapid weight loss

• high energy level or restlessness
• talkativeness
• sores on the skin from scratching at imaginary “crank bugs”
• insomnia
• paranoia
• dry mouth
• dilated pupils
• distorted auditory and visual perceptions
• repetitive motor activity
• decline in performance at school, work, or home

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METH CAN DESTROY THE HEALTH OF 23,703 seizures of meth labs, equipment, and
PEOPLE WHO USE IT chemicals; by 2018, there were only 1,568
Meth appears to have a neurotoxic effect, lab seizures, and of those labs, 85 percent
damaging brain cells that contain the were small facilities capable of producing
neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. In two ounces or less of meth. While small labs
the short term, meth causes mind and mood produce much less meth than cartels smuggle
changes, such as anxiety and depression, into the country, they have the tragic result of
and increased heart rate and blood pressure. endangering children.
People who overdose on meth experience high
body temperatures and convulsions, which METH THREATENS CHILDREN
if not treated, can result in death. Long-term Exposure to meth threatens children in many
effects can include paranoid or delusional ways. You don’t have to use meth to absorb
thinking, violent behavior, memory loss, its toxins—living near a production site or
tooth decay and loss, malnutrition, and skin inhaling meth smoke will also cause it to enter
disorders. (Many people who use meth long a person’s bloodstream. Because children have
term start picking at or scratching their skin, smaller bodies and higher rates of metabolism
believing there are insects under its surface.) and respiration than adults, they absorb higher
Some of these symptoms can persist for levels of the toxic chemicals from meth labs.
months or even years after a person has quit The explosive ingredients used to make meth
using meth, because long-term meth use can also put children at risk for chemical burns and
change the structure of the brain, particularly respiratory damage from fires.
in areas associated with emotion and memory.
When people don’t recover quickly after The living conditions of a home used for the
quitting, it’s harder for them to keep from using production of meth or inhabited by adults who
again. Injecting meth is also linked to increased use meth also endanger children. The homes
transmission of infectious diseases, especially are frequently filthy, and the parents may be
hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. so consumed with acquiring and using meth
that they neglect their kids. Children’s play,
METH LABS ARE STILL PREVALENT sleep, and eating areas may be infested with
Even though meth production in the United rodents and insects. Law enforcement officials
States has dropped substantially since the frequently find rotten food, animal feces, used
Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act needles, and garbage piled on floors and
of 2005, meth labs still exist, and meth is counters in homes where meth is produced.
still the most frequently manufactured drug First responders say they can never fully prepare
seized in labs across the United States. At the themselves for the shock of finding young
peak of meth production in 2004, there were children who haven’t eaten, bathed, or been

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loved by a sober parent in days or weeks. They

describe finding malnourished, frightened, and
neglected children with respiratory problems,
liver damage, injuries, or other issues. Initially,
children who live where meth is made must be
held with rubber gloves because their skin and
clothing are extremely toxic.

A recent study calculates the long-term health

damage to meth-exposed children. Infants
exposed to meth in utero are more likely to
THE HIGH COST TO CHILDREN
be smaller than infants not exposed to drugs. In 2021, a baby from Paragould,
By age five, they show above-average levels AR died from “manslaughter and
of anxiety and depression, and they are more introduction of a controlled substance
emotionally reactive, which can increase into the body of another person”
behavior problems. They are more likely than at 8 months old. The infant was in
other children to have attention problems, be the care of a 30-year-old Paragould
more withdrawn, and show ADHD symptoms. woman and according to the probable
Yet with professional help and a stable home case affidavit, the infant was taken
environment, their lives can improve. to Arkansas Children’s Hospital with
a fractured skill, a fractured femur,
METH IS CHEAP AND EASY TO OBTAIN and meth in his system. The woman
Most of the meth currently available in the told investigators that she smoked
United States is manufactured in Mexico methamphetamine in “close proximity
using chemicals from China or India, as to the infant on the night prior to the
Mexico has also restricted sales of ephedrine incident.” Stating she had placed the
and pseudoephedrine. Drug cartels in infant down for a nap approximately 1
Mexico also use phenyl-2-propanone (also and ½ hours prior to finding the infant
called phenylacetone or P2P) instead of unresponsive. There were 12 blankets,
pseudoephedrine to manufacture meth. a towel, two pillows, and some toys
P2P can be produced in different ways with in the crib with the infant. The baby’s
different chemicals, and as such it’s extremely death was determined to be “due
difficult for the Mexican government to to exposure to methamphetamine
control. Because meth is highly addictive, exposure complicated by an unsafe
more available, and less expensive than other sleeping environment.”
illegal drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, experts

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predict that meth use will only increase without TEEN METH USE
intervention at the community, state, and Some encouraging news is that community
federal levels. action and prevention efforts to reduce teen
meth use are working. Among teenagers, meth
WHO USES METH? use has steadily declined since it peaked in
Meth is used all over the country, in urban and 1999. The rate of past year meth use dropped
rural areas by people of all socioeconomic from 4.7 percent in 1999 to 0.5 percent in 2019
classes. Some people initially take the drug to among twelfth graders, from 4.6 to 0.5 percent
cope with working long hours—they hear that among tenth graders, and from 3.2 percent to
it will boost their energy and productivity. It 0.5 percent among eighth graders.
produces an intense euphoria and may also be
used for weight loss and sexual endurance. It’s clear that drug education has been
successful and needs to continue. In 2003,
How many people use meth? According to a about 50 percent of twelfth graders were
2017 study, an estimated 14.7 million people in aware that taking crystal meth once or twice
the United States—5.4 percent of Americans was a “great risk.” Fifteen years later, nearly 70
twelve or older—have tried it at least once. percent of twelfth graders see taking crystal
A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental meth as a “great risk.”
Health Services Administration reports that
about 1.9 million (0.7 percent)27 had used it in While teen use may be dropping overall,
the past year (2018) and 1 million (0.4 percent) many of the teens who do try meth quickly
in the month prior to the survey. Those become addicted—and face all the resulting
percentages show an increase from 2005, when consequences of addiction. Honor roll students
fewer than 5 percent of Americans had tried it, fail school, and teens with clean records start
but they haven’t varied much since 2015. stealing from friends and family to fuel their

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addiction. Some teenagers still think of meth

as safer, longer lasting, and easier to buy than
cocaine. Fourteen-and fifteen-year-olds have
been caught using and selling the drug.

ARKANSAS TRENDS
GENDER
In Arkansas, possession data shows
that nearly twice as many men are using
methamphetamine than women. In 2020,
people who use methamphetamine were 68%
male and 32% female. In 2019, 65% male and
35% female. In 2018, 66% male and
34% female.

SOME ALARMING INDICATORS

Across the United States, overdose deaths from
psychostimulants—the category of drugs that
includes meth—have increased more than 800
percent in the past decade. Those numbers
may be rising because meth is purer and
CRIME more potent than ever before. It may also be
In Arkansas, 4 in 10 violent crimes and 5 in because people are combining meth with other
10 property crimes are related to meth. With drugs, including opioids. Some individuals who
white males accounting for 4319 arrests for are trying to stop using opioids turn to meth to
possession in 2021 and 555 arrests for sales/ ease their withdrawal symptoms. Deaths also
manufacturing versus 1004 black male arrest may be due to the risky behavior that comes
for possession and 167 for sales/manufacturing. with meth use or its stress on the heart.
This trend also holds true for white women with
2316 arrest for possession and 261 for sales/ Historically, the major opioid epidemics of
manufacturing versus 197 possession arrests the early 1900s and the 1970s were followed
for black women and 26 arrests for sales/ by increased use of stimulants—meth or
manufacturing. cocaine.34 The United States has been battling

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an opioid epidemic since 2002, which has

intensified since 2013, and meth is cheaper
and more accessible than cocaine. In 2014,
U.S. Customs seized nearly twenty thousand
pounds of meth; in 2019, more than sixty-eight
thousand pounds were seized. There is clearly
cause for concern about rising meth use.

How is Meth Getting Into The Country?

When ephedrine was readily available, small
clandestine laboratories were found across the
country. However, smaller labs have largely
been replaced by transnational criminal
organizations (TCOs) in Mexico, leading to a
steady decline in domestic methamphetamine
laboratory incidents, but an increase in
seizures at the U.S. - Mexico border. Plus,
the DEA reports that “many of the domestic and 2019 (73,351 kilograms). While
methamphetamine laboratories seized in 2019 methamphetamine precursors are often
were small-capacity production laboratories, transported via maritime shipments from
known as ‘one-pot’ or ‘shake and bake. China and India, finished methamphetamine
is commonly trafficked overland across the
Methamphetamine seizures occur in SWB. Traffickers employ various techniques
every U.S. state. Mexican TCOs control to transport and conceal methamphetamine,
wholesale methamphetamine distribution, such as using human couriers, parcel services,
while both Mexican and domestic criminal and commercial conveyances. Commonly,
groups typically control retail distribution traffickers transport multi-kilogram shipments
in the United States. The SWB remains of methamphetamine in privately owned
the main entry point for the majority of vehicles. Fuel tank concealment remains a
methamphetamine entering the United widely used technique with either packaged
States. Methamphetamine seizures along methamphetamine or methamphetamine
the SWB increased 74 percent from in solution. Methamphetamine concealed
2018 (39,268 kilograms) to 2019 (68,355 in tires and other natural voids in vehicles
kilograms) (See Figure 16). Total nationwide are other popular methods for smuggling
methamphetamine seizures increased 77 methamphetamine and other contraband into
percent between 2018 (41,396 kilograms) the United States.

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Outlook pandemic but has seen price increases during

Mexican TCOs are likely to continue to the ongoing pandemic. As the COVID-19
produce, transport, and distribute high-purity, pandemic crisis continues, fluctuations in
high potency methamphetamine across the pricing and availability will likely continue with
SWB into the United States and will likely all drugs of abuse, with the methamphetamine
continue to adapt their production methods market disproportionately affected.
as precursor chemicals become restricted,
become temporarily unavailable, or cost- The Importance of Prevention Efforts
prohibitive. Domestic production will likely As smuggled meth has spread across the
continue declining as methamphetamine United States, it’s now reaching a new
produced in Mexico remains a lower cost, generation that hasn’t experienced firsthand
higher purity, and higher potency alternative. the lethal and addictive nature of the drug.
Conversion laboratories will likely continue Preventive action at the state and community
to increase, or at least maintain a stable levels is essential to stopping this growth.
presence, as methamphetamine in solution Parents, teachers, and community leaders
remains an effective concealment and can take a stand against this drug to prevent
transportation option. Additionally, TCOs are meth from becoming the drug of choice for
likely to continue to attempt to expand existing this new generation. One recent study shows
markets or establish new ones by offering that the number of people who use meth
methamphetamine in nontraditional forms such for the first time has stayed fairly stable in
as tablets. The price of methamphetamine the past few years. From 2015 to 2018, the
currently remains low compared to other drugs number of people who used meth for the first
of abuse despite the impact of the COVID-19 time hovered around two hundred thousand

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a year. Another study shows a steady, and vandalism, theft, and environmental pollution—
somewhat dramatic, increase in meth use since is borne by the community of the individuals
it bottomed out in 2008. Because stimulant use who use it.
has grown following opioid epidemics in the
past, experts speculate the number of first-time Access to Meth Treatment is Uneven
users will continue to rise unless education and Treatment for substance use disorders is more
intervention efforts are maintained. accessible now than it was in the past, but
it remains difficult for some to access. The
Meth Use Leads to Increased Crime Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
When people who use meth can’t afford the of 2008 requires health insurers to provide
drug, they often commit crimes—from petty the same level of benefits for substance use
theft to robbery, even murder—to obtain cash treatment that they do for medical care.
for their habit. They’ll do anything to get their For people who are insured, this can be a
next fix. Meth use itself increases a tendency to lifesaver. The U.S. Department of Health and
crime because it leads to a willingness to take Human Services has a website to help navigate
risks, paranoid thinking, and violent behavior. insurance problems: https://www.hhs.gov /
Between 50 and 70 percent of property programs/topic-sites/mental-health-parity/
crimes—burglary, shoplifting, motor vehicle mental-health-and-addiction-insurance-help/
theft, arson, and vandalism—are committed by index.html. And the Substance Abuse and
people who use meth. Mental Health Services Administration has
a national helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Meth-related crimes can also be violent. A Throughout the country, many effective
recent study showed that more than 50 percent treatment approaches are available for
of 350 respondents in one California county substance use disorders, including meth use
who received treatment for meth addiction disorder. Some of these approaches include
reported that their meth use led to violent cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational
criminal behavior. Most often that behavior was enhancement therapy (motivational
trying to beat up someone, rob someone, or interviewing), and Twelve Step facilitation.
threaten them with a weapon. These three approaches have been proven to
offer effective treatment for many substance
What Does Meth Cost Communities? use disorders.
Communities affected by meth pay a high
price. Meth has a strong link to serious crime. The two models described here offer
In Arkansas there were 9,008 meth related integrated treatment approaches that are
arrests across the state. Much of the economic effective for meth use disorder as well as for
damage associated with meth— burglary, other addictions.

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MYTH: Meth isn’t as dangerous as other

drugs— it’s just speed or diet pills.

METH
FACT: Meth can be made from chemicals that
often include battery acid, drain cleaner, lye,
antifreeze, and other toxic ingredients, so there
is a greater chance that a person who uses meth

MYTHS
will require emergency medical attention than
a person who uses any other drug. Long-term
meth use causes paranoia and delusions, which
can last for months or years after a person has
stopped using. Meth labs have destroyed the
environment where toxic lab byproducts are
dumped into soil or drains.

MYTH: You have to use meth only once to MYTH: Since pseudoephedrine was tightly
become addicted to it. regulated in 2005, meth is no longer a
problem.
FACT: Not everyone who uses meth becomes
addicted after a single use. But it is easy for FACT: Meth is still accessible. Even though the
an individual to become addicted to meth in a ingredients needed to make it aren’t readily
short period of time because meth drastically available in the United States anymore, meth is
and quickly enhances a person’s mood. being smuggled across the border from Mexico
When a person uses meth, high levels of the in record amounts. The meth available in 2020
neurotransmitter dopamine are released into is more potent than meth was fifteen years ago.
the brain. With each subsequent use, the body’s It’s also cheaper to buy and provides a longer-
natural supply of dopamine is reduced, leaving lasting high than cocaine.
a person feeling “flat” and depressed. To feel
better, he or she is likely to seek another “hit” MYTH: States that border Mexico are in the
from the drug. In contrast to cocaine, which is greatest danger from meth.
almost completely metabolized in the body and
then quickly removed, meth provides a longer- FACT: Even though most of the meth in the
lasting high, and a larger percentage of the drug United States comes from Mexico, drug cartels
remains in the body. This results in meth being are using established supply channels for other
present in the brain longer, which ultimately can drugs. Meth has been seized in every state in
lead to higher rates of addiction. the United States.

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MYTH: Meth-related crime is a problem only delusional thinking and a greater willingness
in large cities. to take risks, so people who use meth are
more likely to commit crimes. Many cases of
FACT: Meth-related crime reported in rural domestic violence are meth related. Children
communities is significant. In the past decade, whose parents use meth are often abused and
rural crime rates have shot up, while crime in neglected. Property values decline and criminal
many urban areas has gone down. In Iowa, activity escalates when meth comes into a
for example, the violent crime rate rose by 3 neighborhood.
percent statewide between 2006 and 2016, but
in small towns violent crime increased by 50 MYTH: Hardworking people don’t use meth.
percent. Rising meth use is a factor in the crime
rates. Rural sheriffs from Ohio to Oklahoma to FACT: Anybody can use meth. Research shows
Oregon report meth use is up, and with it are a wide diversity in people who use it, including
crimes committed by people who use meth. honor roll students, housewives, executives,
mothers, and employees in many industries.
MYTH: Meth labs aren’t a problem in the People of all races and socioeconomic
United States anymore because meth is backgrounds use meth.53 Many people start
being smuggled from Mexico. using meth to have greater energy to produce
more at work, at home, or at school.
FACT: Most meth is coming from Mexico, but
people are still making small amounts of meth MYTH: Treatment doesn’t work for people
in labs throughout the United States. Meth labs addicted to meth and isn’t worth the cost.
can be easily dismantled, stored, or moved. This
portability often helps people who make meth FACT: Contrary to popular opinion, treatment
to avoid detection by law enforcement officials. for meth use disorder does work, and it is a wise
Meth labs have been found in many locations, investment. Every dollar spent on treatment is
including apartments, hotel rooms, rented estimated to save more than twelve dollars in
storage spaces, and vans and trucks. Some averted health care, social, and criminal justice
meth labs have been booby-trapped, and lab costs.
operators are often well armed.
MYTH: Women don’t use meth.
MYTH: Meth hurts only the people who use
the drug. FACT: Research indicates that of the people
who use meth at some point in their lives, 40
FACT: Meth use costs everyone. Meth causes percent are women.

– 17 –
 Meth 101

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