Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Methamphetamine users feel a short yet intense “rush” when the drug is initially administered. The immediate effects of methamphetamine include increased activity and decreased appetite. The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.

According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 10.4 million Americans aged 12 or older used methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes for nonmedical reasons, representing 4.3% of the U.S. population in that age group.

Long-term methamphetamine abuse can cause:

Addiction
Anxiety
Insomnia
Mood Disturbances,
Violent Behavior

Additionally, psychotic symptoms such as paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions (such as the sensation of bugs crawling under the user’s skin) can occur. The psychotic symptoms can last for months or years after methamphetamine use has ceased.

Street terms include: Bikers Coffee, Methlies Quick , Chalk Poor Man’s Cocaine, Chicken Feed, Shabu, Crank Speed , Crystal Meth, Stove Top, Glass Trash, Go-Fast , Yellow Bam , Ice.

One of the reasons meth is such a threat in rural is because it is cheap and easy to make. Drugs that can be bought over the counter at local stores are mixed with other common ingredients to make meth. Small labs to cook the drug can be set up on tables in kitchens, countertops, garages or just about anywhere. Although superlabs, operated by sophisticated traffickers still supply the majority of meth, these smaller tabletop labs have increased exponentially in the last decade, setting an alarming trend.

Meth is a powerfully addictive and violent drug. Its use can result in fatal kidney and lung disorders, brain damage, liver damage, chronic depression, paranoia and other physical and mental disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that meth causes more damage to the brain than alcohol, heroin, or cocaine.