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A Response to the DEA web site

DEALogo DRCNet Response to the
Drug Enforcement Administration
Get It Straight!




DRCNet Response: For those who are interested in the background of the methamphetamine situation, and want to understand how we got to the current situation, we recommend the following from the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs - Part V - Coca, Cocaine, Amphetamines, "Speed"

Methamphetamine is a stimulant. It is a potent member of the phetamine family. These drugs speed up your body and your brain. Methamphetamine affects your nervous system in a serious way.

This drug was used a lot in the 1950s to help keep truckers awake, college students more alert, and athletes on the cutting edge. That was before doctors found out how dangerous the drug was.

STREET NAMES FOR METHAMPHETAMINE: Speed, Meth, Chalk, Ice, Crystal. Glass. and Crank.

THE LOOK: Methamphetamine comes as pills, powder, or as clear chunky crystals (ice) The crystals are another form of methamphetamine that contains a substance called hydrochloride.

METHAMPHETAMINE IS PRODUCED: mostly in illegal laboratories. When DEA chemists take a close look at what's in the seized methamphetamine, they see bacteria and other germs that can make the user really sick. Some chemists say that "meth" produced in illegal Labs is "crawling with bugs." These labs also harm the environment because many toxic chemicals are used to make methamphetamine.

METHAMPHETAMINE USE: Methamphetamine can be swallowed, snorted, huffed, injected, or smoked.

METHAMPHETAMINE CAN BE LEGAL: The legal use of Methamphetamine is highly restricted. This means that a person needs a prescription from his or her doctor, and drug refills are not permitted without a doctor's permission. Prescription drugs are meant only for the person they are prescribed for, and should never be shared. A person could do time in jail and pay heavy fines if caught selling methamphetamine. That's a Federal Law.

[STUDENT NOTES]

I learned about another drug that is kind of like methamphetamine. On the street it's called "CAT," and its real name is methcathinone. "CAT" can be cut with dangerous acids. It's snorted most of the time, but can be taken orally or injected. Similar to methamphetamine, it makes you hyper, keeps you awake, and makes you lose your appetite. After the drug is used, the person usually crashes into depression.



METHAMPHETAMINE,
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFECTS
  • Angry, hostile, and anxious feelings.
  • Violent behavior.
  • Confusion.
  • Mental illness that looks Like schizophrenia (paranoid feelings picking at your skin, hallucinations). The user can also be haunted by his or her thoughts.
  • Increased physical activity.
  • Loss of appetite, which can result in severe weight loss (anorexia).
  • Inability to sleep.
  • Increased heart and pulse rate.
  • Permanent damage to the blood vessels in the brain, which can lead to strokes.
  • Convulsions and body tremors.
  • Chest pain and raised blood pressure, which could lead to a heart attack and then death.
  • Irregular heartbeat.
  • AIDS or hepatitis resulting from shared needles.
  • Mental dependence.
  • Tolerance and addiction to the drug.



Use of methamphetamine by young people is slowly going up. In 1995, a high school survey said that 3.9 percent of high school seniors had used ice - that's the solid form of methamphetamine - at least once already. That's an increase from 2.7 percent in 1990.

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