DEA Factsheet

Methamphetamine: “Perhaps more than any other drug this country has experienced, methamphetamine affects everybody in the community. The first challenge of the meth trade is that we can’t blame it on our South American neighbors….It is locally produced in clandestine laboratories. The second challenge meth presents is that international traffickers are aggressively targeting rural areas…Traffickers think they can escape law enforcement in rural areas. But we have to make sure that’s not true. The third challenge of methamphetamine lies in the very nature of this drug. It is intense, it is highly addictive, and it is overwhelmingly dangerous…The drug has a phenomenal rate of addiction, with some experts saying users often get hooked after just one use. Recent studies have demonstrated that methamphetamine causes more damage to the brain than heroin, alcohol, or cocaine. Methamphetamine takes over the whole person. One former user described its effect on her life by saying, ‘I went against every moral and every belief I ever had when I was on meth.’”

Street Names: Meth, Speed, Ice, Chalk, Crank, Fire, Glass, and Crystal.

Physical Effects: Methamphetamine is a toxic, addictive stimulant. Meth use dilates the pupils and produces temporary hyperactivity, euphoria, a sense of increased energy, and tremors.

Dangers: Methamphetamine use increases the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and rate of breathing, and it frequently results in violent behavior in users. Methamphetamine is neurotoxic, meaning that it causes damage to the brain. High doses or chronic use have been associated with increased nervousness, irritability, and paranoia. Withdrawal from high doses produces severe depression. Chronic abuse produces a psychosis similar to schizophrenia and is characterized by paranoia, picking at the skin, self absorption, and auditory and visual hallucinations. Violent and erratic behavior is frequently seen among chronic, high-dose methamphetamine abusers.

Description: Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally, and its appearance varies depending on how it is used. Typically, it is a white, bitter-tasting powder that easily dissolves in beverages. Another common form of the drug is crystal meth, or “ice,” named for its appearance (that of clear, large chunky crystals resembling rock candy). Crystal meth is smoked in a manner similar to crack cocaine and about 10 to 15 “hits” can be obtained from a single gram of the substance.

Distribution Methods: Meth is frequently sold through social networks and is rarely sold on the streets.

Prospects for the Fight Against Drugs: “Our efforts are making a difference. During the last 15 years, drug use is down by half and cocaine use is down by 75 percent. It is true that in a recent Pew Research Center poll, 54 percent of the people said we were ‘losing ground’ on drugs. But roughly the same number (53 percent) said we were losing ground on education and health care. What’s more, twelve years ago, in 1989, 69 percent of the people thought we were losing ground on drugs, compared to 54 percent today. Some social problems take a long time to solve. Our anti-drug effort should not be viewed differently.”

Serving as Director: “I learned as a U.S. Attorney that drug abuse destroys individuals, shatters families, and weakens the fabric of a community and a nation. I also learned that the anti-drug efforts of this nation can be effective in saving lives and rebuilding families and communities. Surely, this is a noble purpose worthy of a great crusade…I will bring my heart to this crusade. My heart will reflect a passion for the law, a compassion for those families struggling with this nightmare, and a devotion to helping young people act upon the strength and not the weaknesses of their character.” -Asa Hutchinson