Methamphetamines: Nothing to Rave About

"Meth," "speed," "chalk," "ice," "crystal," "crank," "fire," and "glass" are street terms for a man-made drug called methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is among the most addictive substances around. The drug can easily be made in secret laboratories from relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. This white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder can be smoked, snorted, injected, or swallowed. Teens may think that the bizarre way the drug makes them feel is cool; however, the drug is altering their brains — maybe permanently.

What does it look like?    

What is used to make "Meth"?  

What are some signs of a "Meth Lab"?               

Methamphetamine is not usually sold and bought on the streets like many other illicit drugs. Instead, people obtain supplies through friends or acquaintances. It is typically a closed or hidden sale. Most teens who come in contact with methamphetamines will do so attending a "rave" or private club. It is at these clubs where the drug is often sold.

Because methamphetamines can be made with readily available, inexpensive materials, there is great variation in the processes and chemicals used. This means that the final product that is sold as "methamphetamine" may not be that drug at all. Uncertainties about the drug's sources and its content make it difficult to know how powerful this substance may be and what the consequences are of this potent mixture.

Signs of a Methamphetamine User   Report Suspected Drug Activity

Users may experience

• signs of agitation, excited speech, decreased appetites, and increased physical activity levels (other common symptoms include dilated pupils, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and elevated body temperature)
• occasional episodes of sudden and violent behavior, intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and bouts of insomnia
• a tendency to compulsively clean and groom and repetitively sort and disassemble objects such as cars and other mechanical devices.

Long-Term Effects of the Drug

Methamphetamines can

• change the brain's ability to manufacture a chemical substance essential for the normal experience of pleasure and for normal psychological functioning (these changes in the brain can persist long after the user stops taking the drugs)
• cause a stroke
• create a mental disorder that mimics schizophrenia
• be extremely addictive.

Kicking the Habit

There are currently no medications available to treat addiction or overdose to methamphetamines. Withdrawal from this drug is typically characterized by drug craving, depression, disturbed sleep patterns, and increased appetite.

Take Action  Report Suspected Drug Activity

• Skip parties where you know there will be alcohol and drugs.
• Get involved in drug-free activities.
• Urge your school, faith community, or neighborhood to organize an anti-drug rally.
• Talk to school counselors about starting an alcohol or drug abuse prevention program.

• Is there a Meth lab in your neighborhood?

  Here are some warning signs that there may be a Meth lab in your neighborhood:

   

  • Strong odor of solvents, acids or ammonia
  • Residences with windows blacked out
  • Iodine, or chemical, stained bathroom or kitchen fixtures
  • Increased activity, especially at night
  • Excessive trash

   

  Common Meth Lab Supplies

  The most common chemicals used to start making meth are over-the-counter cold and asthma medications such as Sudafed, Revive and Mini-Thins, and decongestants, stimulants and diet pills, all of which contain either ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

  • Bottles with plastic tubing
  • Mason jars and glassware
  • Propane tanks (sometimes with bent or tampered valves and blue-green corrosion)
  • Camp stove fuel
  • Empty cans of toluene, alcohol or paint thinner
  • Ammonia
  • Starter fuel
  • Sodium Hydroxide (Red Devil Lye)
  • Coffee filters with red stains
  • Funnels
  • Rock salt, iodine bottles

  Report Suspected Drug Activity

  If you suspect a meth lab in your neighborhood ...

  Do not enter a site that you think may be used for cooking meth! Labs present extreme dangers from explosions and exposure due to hazardous chemicals. Breathing the vapors and handling substances can cause serious injury, as in death. Drug labs are considered hazardous waste sites and should be entered only by trained and equipped professionals.

  Never handle materials you suspect were used for making meth, such as contaminated glassware, needles and trash. Skin contact can results in burns or poisoning. Handling items can also cause some of the chemicals to explode or catch fire. Consider that when professionals respond to a drug lab, they do not enter the building until they have put on protective, chemically resistant suits and boots, special gloves, and respirators.

  If you suspect a Meth lab in your neighborhood, call the police!

  Report Suspected Drug Activity

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Crime Prevention Tips Provided by:
National Crime Prevention Council