Meth Effects

THE USER

Meth users are often seduced by the intensity of the initial high, a high many say is unlike anything they have experienced before. Almost immediately, users build up a tolerance for the drug, causing them to vary the quantity, frequency, or method of intake in an effort to recreate that first experience.

This incites a form of binging known as a "run," sometimes using as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours for several days until the drug is either gone or the user is too disoriented to continue.

Even with sustained low-level usage, a person will often begin to experience symptoms such as drug craving, extreme weight loss, loss of muscle tone, and tooth decay, along with withdrawal-related depression and other symptoms. High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal levels, as well as cause convulsions.

As tolerance sets in, the user will often begin to use Meth more frequently in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Although there are no physical manifestations of withdrawal syndrome when Meth usage is stopped, several symptoms including depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, extreme aggression, and an intense craving for the drug may occur.

Long-term Meth abuse may result in many damaging effects, including: violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects crawling on the skin).

This chronic use frequently leads to symptoms such as: neurotoxicity (brain damage), respiratory problems, irregular heartbeat, and irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes, heart and kidney damage, cardiovascular collapse, and death.

THE FAMILY

Meth never ruins just one life at a time. Many users reject anything and anyone who stands in their way of getting Meth, isolating themselves from parents, family, and friends.

Meth's power over users is so potent that they will lie, steal, even resort to prostitution and physical violence in order to obtain it.

Children of Meth-addicted parents are often left to fend for themselves, causing intense emotional harm that can lay the foundation for behavioral problems, depression, and future substance abuse.

Children of users are frequently exposed to many hazards such as second-hand smoke, risk of accidental drug ingestion, and HIV exposure from needle usage. Other potential hazards include the presence of weapons, possibility of violence, and sexual or physical abuse.

In the end, many families end up torn apart, with parents in prison, children removed from the home, and lifetimes of physical and emotional damage.

THE COMMUNITY

Another facet of Meth's impact on communities comes from the crime associated with drug smuggling. Although the chemicals needed to make Meth are effectively regulated in the United States, in many other countries they are not. Criminal drug trafficking syndicates have taken advantage of this fact to capitalize on the United States' Meth trade. This has led to an increase in crimes associated with smuggling cartels.

The societal costs associated with Meth are staggering. Not only does Meth lead to increases in crime, but it also leads to increased costs to social agencies, corrections, unemployment pools, workers' compensation costs, and losses in employee productivity are extensive.

Meth-related health care costs are outrageous. Hospitals attribute more emergency room visits to Meth than to any other drug. The majority of patients who suffer health problems from Meth use are either underinsured or have no health insurance at all, contributing to the high cost of health care.

In many communities, Meth abuse has also lead to the growth of diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, and AIDS due to intravenous use of the drug and unsafe sex practices.

THE ENVIRONMENT

For every pound of Meth produced, approximately five pounds of toxic waste is generated. This waste may include corrosive liquids, acid vapors, heavy metals, solvents, and other harmful materials.

Because of the illicit nature of Meth production, waste is often dumped haphazardly, contaminating watersheds used by humans and animals. When Meth is being cooked in a lab, the vapors produced permeate every porous surface in the building, often making them uninhabitable. These vapors can also be highly volatile, sometimes leading to explosions that can severely burn or kill those nearby.

To avoid detection, those cooking Meth will often use mobile labs that can be set up outdoors. In recent years, abandoned labs have been discovered at trailheads and fishing accesses, jeopardizing our access to public lands and endangering wildlife. Meth-contaminated waste is commonly found along roadsides.

The toxic nature of these sites requires specialized clean-up techniques. These costs frequently run thousands of dollars per incident, requiring funds that come out of the already-tight budgets of local law enforcement or property owners.