Methamphetamine and Meth Labs
What is methamphetamine (meth)?
On this page:
Health Effects
Drug Information for Parents or Guardians
More information
 Meth is a powerful central nervous system stimulant and one of a family of drugs known as amphetamines.
Meth is a synthetic (or man-made) drug that can be taken orally (swallowed), inhaled (snorted), smoked or injected. The way meth is taken (route of administration) can influence the rate of addiction and disability caused by using the drug. Smoking and injecting meth result in the largest amounts of drug being delivered most rapidly to the brain and central nervous system. Any way of using meth is extremely dangerous.
Depending on the method of manufacturing, meth may range in color from white to brown; pink to red or in various shades of yellow or green. Meth can come in pill form, powder or chunks. Common street names for meth include: "speed", "chalk", "ice", "crystal", "crank" and "glass". Crystal meth resembles rock candy, or chunks of ice or crystal. Seventy to eighty percent of the meth used illegally in Minnesota comes from other states. Twenty to thirty percent of the illegal meth in Minnesota is made in clandestine labs.
Meth is extremely addictive. Treatment and recovery may be complicated by physical and mental illness, including prolonged depression.
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Health effects
Immediate (short-term) effects of methamphetamine abuse may
include:
- Increased attention and decreased fatigue
- Increased activity
- Decreased appetite
- Euphoric feeling and a "rush"
- Increased respiratory rate
- Dangerously high body temperature
- Convulsions
Long-term (chronic) effects of methamphetamine abuse may include
- Anxiety and anxiousness
- Severe weight loss
- Changes to brain and central nervous system
- Damage to heart or other major organs
- Tremor or uncontrolled motor activity
- Hallucinations
- Mood disturbances, including homicidal or suicidal thinking
- Violent and/or paranoid behavior
- Amphetamine psychosis
Symptoms of withdrawal may include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Paranoia
- Aggression
- Intense drug craving
(Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Research Report on
Methamphetamine Abuse, 2002)
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Drug Information for Parents or Guardians
Attention: Non-MDH links
TheAntiDrug.com: Action Guide
for Parents
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
Information and advice for parents about kids and substance abuse prevention
Teen Talk: A Survival Guide for Teen Parents: Teens and Meth
University of Minnesota Extension Service.
A fact sheet available on this site with information and advice about teens and meth.
Southeast Missouri
State University
(education for teaching children about meth, including kid's chatroom)
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More information about meth
Attention: Non-MDH links
General
Defining Methamphetamine (Meth)
(fact sheet from the Minnesota Department of Health concerning various forms of meth)
Frontline: The Meth Epidemic (aired on PBS Feb. 14, 2006)
National
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
(meth specific information and statistics)
National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
(latest scientific information)
Northwest
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
(frequently asked questions)
www.streetdrugs.org:
Partners in training and education
(Information and educational products regarding street drugs)
Methamphetamine Abuse and Addiction: National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Research Report Series
(Discusses methamphetamine abuse and compares with other drugs.)
Meth Action Clearinghouse National Association of Counties
(Links to two surveys:)
The Meth Epidemic in America: A Survey of Two Counties
The Criminal Effect of Meth on Communities; The Impact of Meth on Children July 2005
and
The Meth Epidemic in America: Two New Surveys of U.S. Counties:
The Effect of Meth Abuse on Hospital Emergency Rooms
The Challenges of Treating Meth Abuse January 2006
Hospitals Say Meth Cases are Rising, and Hurt Care
By Kate Zernike
New York Times article mentioning the National Association of Counties survey findings (above)
Research
Behavioral Health World for Professionals (Information
on substance abuse and related mental disorders, developed by Essex Consulting,
Inc., under a grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes
of Health, USA)
Emedicine.com
(medical resource on meth for clinicians)
Effects on Route of Administration on Cocaine and Methamphetamine Users (PDF: 92KB/2 pages)
Summary based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services document "Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders"
Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis School of Science
(research on prenatal drug exposure and infant development)
Stimulants: Clinical Manifestations
and Medical Management
Summary based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services document "Treatment
for Stimulant Use Disorders", TIP 33
Education Resources
National Clearing House for Alcohol and Drug Information
Several educational materials, including "What's Cooking in Your Neighborhood?"
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Mind Over Matter - school curriculum for grades 5 to 9
Amera-Chem, Inc. Drug Identification Bible
Information for law enforcement/professional education
Scholastic ETV Consortium
Substance abuse prevention films and study guides
Iowa Prevention of Methamphetamine Abuse Project
Meth abuse prevention classroom materials available for download
Just Think Twice
An anti-drug web site for teens by U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
Methamphetamine: A Prevention Trilogy (PDF: 786KB/1 page)
Educational materials for youth, adults, and first responders from the California Office of the Attorney General
Personal Stories
Do's and Don'ts
of Loving a Meth Addict (Comments and perspectives from a person
recovering from meth addiction. Guidelines for how to deal with loved
ones who are meth addicts.)
Indian
Minority Student Development (IMSD) program through American Indian
Research Opportunities (AIRO), a Montana State University Bozeman Department
(stories from Native Americans using meth on reservations in Montana)
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For more information about this page, please contact us at: health.meth@state.mn.us. Specific contact information can be found on our Contact Us Web page.
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