Transcript Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana

Methamphetamine
Information and Issues
Meth: facts and fiction
 Myth
 Meth use is no different than other legal stimulants like
caffeine and nicotine.
 Fact
 Chronic methamphetamine abusers can display a number of
psychotic features, including paranoia, visual and auditory
hallucinations, and delusions
 Myth
 Methamphetamine is difficult to make and requires
chemistry expertise.
 Fact
 Most of the necessary chemicals are readily available in
household products or over-the-counter cold or allergy
medicines.
Meth: facts and fiction
Myth
 Meth has always been used as an elicit street
drug.
Fact
 One of the earliest uses of
methamphetamine was during World War II,
when it was used by Axis and Allied forces.
Myth
 Addiction to meth is rare and often mild.
Fact
 Methamphetamine addiction is one of the
most difficult forms of addictions to treat.
History of Methamphetamine use
 Methamphetamine
was first synthesized
from ephedrine in Japan in _______by chemist Nagai
Nagayoshi
 In 1944 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approved meth for the treatment of narcolepsy,
mild depression, parkinson’s, chronic alcoholism,
cerebral arteriosclerosis, and hay fever.
 The German military dispensed it under the
trademark name Pervitin. It was widely distributed
across rank and division, from elite forces to tank
crews and aircraft personnel.
 It was used by both allied and axis forces throughout
World War II
History of Meth use
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Its use became common in the United States around the 1950’s as
both treatment for various ailments and recreational usage.
It was also used in some sport circles to enhance performance and
reduce the effects of fatigue
In 1983, laws were passed in the United States prohibiting
possession of precursors and equipment for methamphetamine
production
As a result of the
_______________________________________________, a
subsection of the USA PATRIOT Act, there are restrictions on the
amount of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine one may purchase in a
specified time period and further requirements that these products
must be stored in order to prevent theft.
The popularity of meth has grown over the last decade due to the
relatively inexpensive cost and prevalent availability.
What is Methamphetamine?
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Methamphetamine
◦ is a ___________ of the phenethylamine
and amphetamine class of drugs. It
increases alertness, concentration, energy, and
in high doses, can induce euphoria,
enhance self-esteem, and increase libido.
Meth Production
Meth is made from a very easy recipe and can be
cooked and ready in 6 to 8 hours in a
mobile meth lab where the cookware can be
relocated to avoid detection of any fumes or
vapors that are associated with the making of
meth. The main ingredients used in making meth
is _________________________, which are
chemicals found in common cold and allergy
medicines.
 Meth is manufactured using toxic chemicals such
as lithium from batteries, bleach and drain cleaner,
paint thinner, lye, red phosphorous and iodine
crystals. It costs about $140 to make one ounce
of meth and can be sold for as much as $1200.
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Meth Production
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Meth PSA Video
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Meth a Vicious Cycle: Documentary
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
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World’s Most Dangerous Drug
◦ Part 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Administration of Meth
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Studies have shown that the subjective pleasure of drug use
(the reinforcing component of addiction) is proportional to
the rate at which the blood level of the drug increases.
These findings suggest the route of administration affects the
potential risk for psychological addiction independently of
other risk factors, such as dosage and frequency of use.
Intravenous injection is the fastest route of drug
administration, causing blood concentrations to rise the
most quickly, followed by
smoking
suppository (anal or vaginal insertion)
insufflation (snorting)
ingestion (swallowing)
Administration of Meth
 ____________
(snorting), where a user crushes
the methamphetamine into a fine powder and
then sharply inhales it (sometimes with a straw or
a rolled up banknote, as with cocaine) into the
nose where methamphetamine is absorbed
through the soft tissue in the mucous
membrane of the sinus cavity and straight into the
bloodstream.
 Insufflation of methamphetamine can cause
chemical damage to teeth, as it draws
methamphetamine down the nasal passage,
draining in the back of the throat and saturating
the teeth with the caustic substances used in its
illicit production.
Administration of Meth
Injection-also known as "slamming", "banging", "shooting up"
or "mainlining", is a popular method used by addicts which
carries relatively greater risks than other methods of
administration.
 The hydrochloride salt of methamphetamine is soluble in
water. Intravenous users may use any dose range, from less
than 100 milligrams to over one gram, using a hypodermic
needle.
 Intravenous users risk developing pulmonary embolism, a
blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its
branches, and commonly develop skin rashes (also known as
"speed bumps") or infections at the site of injection.
 As with the injection of any drug, if a group of users share a
common needle without sterilization procedures, bloodborne diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis, can be transmitted.
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Administration of Meth
____________ Smoking amphetamines refers to
vaporizing it to inhale the resulting fumes, not
burning it to inhale the resulting smoke.
 It is commonly smoked in glass pipes made
from glassblown Pyrex tubes and light bulbs. It
can also be smoked off aluminum foil, which is
heated underneath by a flame.
 There is little evidence that methamphetamine
inhalation results in greater toxicity than any
other route of administration.
 Lung damage has been reported with long-term
use.
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Administration of Meth
 _________________ -(anal or vaginal
insertion) is a less popular method of
administration used in the community with
comparatively little research into its effects.
 Information on its use is largely anecdotal with
reports of increased sexual pleasure and the
effects of the drug lasting longer.
 Nicknames for this method of use within
methamphetamine communities include a "butt
rocket", a "booty bump", "potato thumping",
"turkey basting", "plugging", "boofing", "suitcasing",
"keistering", "shafting", "bumming", and "shelving"
(vaginal)
Faces of Meth
Effects of Meth
 Although methamphetamine causes behavioral
and psychological effects similar to those seen
with cocaine use, it is quite different in many
ways including structurally.
 Methamphetamine is man-made unlike cocaine,
which is plant-derived. Methamphetamine is
typically used on a daily basis, while cocaine is
more frequently used recreationally.
 Finally, the high from methamphetamine lasts
______________, unlike the high from
cocaine, which lasts only 20 - 30 minutes.
Effects of Meth
 Meth use results in an accumulation of dopamine (and
serotonin) in the pleasure areas of the brain excessive dopamine produces the euphoria and
stimulation that the user is trying to achieve.
 Methamphetamine, however, not only blocks the
feedback mechanism of the nerve cells (the
transporter - which normally takes the chemical back
up and saves it), but also reverses that transporter
________________________________
 The dopamine stores eventually become depleted, as
the nerve cells cannot keep up with the amount of
dopamine released and not returned to the cells.
Damage to the nerve cells themselves has also been
documented.
Short-Term Effects
Euphoria (feeling of well-being)
 Excitation
 Intensification of emotions
 ________________________
 Elevation of self-esteem
 Increased alertness
 Aggression
 ________________________
 Elevation of libido (sexual appetite).
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Long Term Effects
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Depression
suicide as well as serious
heart disease,
___________________________
anxiety and
Violence
addiction risk
increased risk of ____________________
persisting cognitive deficits,
◦ such as memory,
◦ impaired attention
◦ Impaired executive function.
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Over 20 percent of people addicted to methamphetamine develop a longlasting psychosis resembling schizophrenia after stopping
methamphetamine which persists for longer than 6 months and is often
treatment resistant.
Other Adverse Effects of Meth
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Weight loss
______________________
Dilated pupils
Flushing
Restlessness
Dry mouth
Headache
Hear issues
Hypertension, hypotension
________________________
Blurred vision
Dizziness,
Twitching, tremors
Insomnia
Numbness
Dry and/or itchy skin
Acne
heart attack
Stroke
Death
Meth Mouth
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Video
Meth Withdrawal
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Withdrawal symptoms of methamphetamine primarily consist of
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Fatigue
Depression
Increased appetite
______________________
Anxiety
Agitation
Excessive sleeping
________________________
Deep REM sleep
Suicidal ideation
Symptoms may last for days with occasional use and weeks or
months with chronic use, with severity dependent on the length of
time and the amount of methamphetamine used. Withdrawal
symptoms may also include
Meth and the brain
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Methamphetamine increases the release and blocks the reuptake of
the brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) ______________,
leading to high levels of the chemical in the brain—a common
mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse.
Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, the experience of
pleasure, and motor function. Methamphetamine’s ability to release
dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the
intense euphoria, or “rush,” that many users feel after snorting,
smoking, or injecting the drug.
Chronic methamphetamine abuse significantly changes how the
brain functions. Noninvasive human brain imaging studies have
shown alterations in the activity of the dopamine system that are
associated with ____________________________________.
Recent studies in chronic methamphetamine abusers have also
revealed severe structural and functional changes in areas of the
brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for
many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in chronic
methamphetamine abusers.