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METH
METH THE
FACTS
Meth Lab
If you know someone who uses meth,
urge him or her to get help. If you're using meth--stop!
The longer you ignore the real facts, the more
chances you take with your life.
Methamphetamine has a phenomenal rate of
addiction, with some experts saying users can get
hooked after just one use. It’s not enough to just
put the traffickers of drugs in jail, we need to
help those who suffer addiction to heal. Only by
breaking that cycle of demand can we bring lasting
change to the entire community. We must look to
treatment and alternative sentencing procedures,
like drug courts and restorative justice, for
non-violent users.
Even small amounts of meth can produce serious
negative effects on you body such as hyperthermia
and convulsions, which can sometimes result in death
to the user. Cardiovascular effects include chest
pain, hypertension and can result in cardiovascular
collapse and death.
Methamphetamine is a white, odorless,
bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily
dissolves in water or alcohol. Another common form
of the drug is called crystal meth, or
"ice," because it comes in large chunky
crystals that look like ice chunks or rock candy.
The powder form of the drug may be snorted,
swallowed, or diluted and injected. The
"crystal" form of the drug is smoked in a
glass pipe like crack cocaine.
Meth is made in America as
well as internationally
Unlike heroin, cocaine, or Ecstasy, it is
produced here within our borders. We can’t blame
other countries for this problem.
Meth is not just a big city
problem
Meth has become the most dangerous drug problem
of small-town America. Traffickers make and
distribute the drug in some of our country’s most
rural areas. Twelve to fourteen year olds that live
in smaller towns are 104% more likely to use meth
than those who live in larger cities.
"Tabletop" labs
on the increase
One of the reasons meth is such a threat in rural
America 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 hurts not just
individuals, but families, neighborhoods and entire
communities
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.
Environmental harm: The chemicals used to make
meth are toxic, and the lab operators routinely dump
waste into streams, rivers, fields, and sewage
systems. The chemical vapors produced during cooking
permeate the walls and carpets of houses and
buildings, making them uninhabitable. Cleaning up
these sites requires specialized training and costs
an average of $2,000-$4,000 per site in funds that
come out of the already-strained budgets of state
and local police.
Hundreds of children are neglected every year
after living with parents who are meth “cooks.”
More than 20% of the meth labs seized last year had
children present.
Meth Lab
EFFECTS
Methamphetamine affects your brain. In the
short term, meth causes mind and mood changes such
as anxiety, euphoria, and depression, irritability,
sleeplessness, increaded physical activity,
violence, heavy sweating, acne, dry mouth and or bad
breath, jaw clenching, dilated pupils, loss of
appetite, weight loss, increased breath rate,
elevated body temperature, increased blood pressure,
sores and skin infections and seizures . Long-term
effects can include chronic fatigue, paranoid or
delusional thinking, and permanent psychological
damage,Tooth decay, Anxiety,paranoia, insomnia,
Inability to function socially, Psychotic behavior
and violence, Auditory hallucinations and delusions,
Homicidal or suicidal thoughts, Elevated blood
pressure, Lowered resistance to disease, Strokes,
Heart infections, Lung disease, Kidney damage, Liver
damage, Lead poisoning, Brain damage similar to
Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease,
Premature delivery when used during pregnancy,
Babies born to women who use suffer cardiac defects,
cleft palate, and other birth defects, Increased
risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C
andDeath
Methamphetamine affects
your body. Over "amping" on any
type of speed is pretty risky. Creating a false
sense of energy, these drugs push the body faster
and further than it's meant to go. It increases the
heart rate, blood pressure, and risk of stroke.
Methamphetamine affects
your self-control. Meth may be as
addictive as crack and more powerful.
Methamphetamine can kill
you. An overdose of meth can result in
heart failure. Long-term physical effects such as
liver, kidney, and lung damage may also kill you.
SYMPTOMS OF METH USE MAY
INCLUDE:
Inability to sleep, Increased sensitivity to
noise, Nervous physical activity, like scratching,
Irritability, dizziness, or confusion, Extreme
anorexia, Tremors or even convulsions, Increased
heart rate, blood pressure, and risk of stroke,
Presence of inhaling paraphernalia, such as razor
blades, mirrors, and straws, Presence of injecting
paraphernalia, such as syringes, heated spoons, or
surgical tubing.
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