What is Methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that is closely related to amphetamine, but has longer lasting and more toxic effects on the central nervous system. It has a high potential for abuse and addiction.
Methamphetamine increases
wakefulness and physical activity and decreases appetite. Chronic, long-term
use can lead to psychotic behavior, hallucinations, and stroke.
Methamphetamine is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken orally, intranasally (snorting the powder), by needle injection, or by smoking. Street names for methamphetamine include speed, meth, crank, crystal, glass, chalk, ice, and others.
It is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. However, its medical uses are limited and the doses prescribed are much lower than those typically abused.
Most of the methamphetamine abused in this country
comes from foreign or domestic superlabs capable of producing megadoses a day,
although it can also be made in small, illegal laboratories (referred to as
“bathtub” labs by some), where its production endangers the people in
the labs, neighbors, and the environment.