What is Methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug produced and sold illegally in pill form, capsules, powder and chunks. Similar to adrenaline, it stimulates the central nervous system and is extremely addictive. Methamphetamine is also known as meth, crank, glass, speed, crystal, ice, batu, chalk, shabu, or zip.
Detecting a User
Meth users often become agitated and feel "wired". A Meth users behavior becomes unpredictable, the user may be friendly and calm one moment, angry and terrified the next. Some feel compelled to repeat meaningless tasks, such as taking apart and reassembling bits of machinery. Others may pick at imaginary bugs on their skin, creating open sores. Users many times sweat profusely in cold weather, have higher body temperatures, and often have a pungent smell emitting from their bodies. They frequently suffer from insomnia and weight loss. With characteristic weight loss from using methamphetamine, the users eyes become sunken and dark and their skin appears lifeless.
Effects of Meth Use
Effects of usage include addiction, psychotic behavior, and brain damage. Chronic use can cause violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, moodiness, delusions, paranoia, and death. Brain damage caused by meth is similar to Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy. Pregnant women may have premature labor, detachment of the placenta, and low birth weight babies with possible neurological damage. Intravenous (IV) drug users may be exposed to AIDS, hepatitis infections and sores at the injection site, and infection of the heart lining and valves.
Effects of Meth on Non-users
Users are not the only ones who are affected by meth. Meth labs regularly blow up in ordinary neighborhoods, damaging ordinary people who may not even know what meth is. Economic costs fall on local, state, and federal governments, which must allocate additional resources for social services, treatment, prevention, research, and law enforcement.
Environmental Hazards
Producing a pound of meth creates five to six pounds of toxic waste. Meth cookers often pour left over chemicals and sludge down household drains, storm drains, or directly onto the ground. Solvents and other toxic by-products used to produce meth pose long-term hazards because they can persist in the soil and groundwater for years. Clean-up and disposal of methamphetamine labs is extremely expensive costing an average of $5,000.00-$150,000. Locating resources and agencies to assist in disposing of the hazardous materials is difficult and dismantling a lab is beyond the capability of most law enforcement agencies. Contaminated soil must usually be incinerated. Careless practices by meth cookers can result in explosions and fires that injure and kill not only the cookers, but also law enforcement officers and firefighters who respond. Exposure to the potent chemicals used in the making of meth can enter the central nervous system by touching or breathing and cause neurological damage, kidney malfunction, and burn or irritate the skin, eyes and nose.
The Consequences (Source: US Drug Enforcement Administration (will open in new window)
| 5g - 49g pure or 50g - 499g mixture |
50g or more pure or 500g or more mixture |
| First Offense: Not less than 5 yrs, and not more than 40 yrs. If death or serious injury, not less than 20 or more than life. Fine of not more than $2 million if an individual, $5 million if not an individual
Second Offense: Not less than 10 yrs, and not more than life. If death or serious injury, life imprisonment. Fine of not more than $4 million if an individual, $10 million if not an individual.
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First Offense: Not less than 10 yrs, and not more than life. If death or serious injury, not less than 20 or more than life. Fine of not more than $4 million if an individual, $10 million if not an individual.
Second Offense: Not less than 20 yrs, and not more than life. If death or serious injury, life imprisonment. Fine of not more than $8 million if an individual, $20 million if not an individual.
| 2 or More Prior Offenses: |
LIFE IMPRISONMENT |
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