North Wales Substance Misuse Forum website. |
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Crystal Meth
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Drug |
Crystal Meth |
Common Name |
Tina, Crystal Meths, Crank, Tweak, Ice, Methamphetamine (Yaba - tablet) |
Description |
Basic types are a rough yellow substance called Hydro and a smooth white blend called Glass. (Crystal meths is amphetamine mixed with cough medicine and other substances to produce methamphetamine) |
Routes of use |
Sniffing, Injected, Smoked |
Effects Required |
The drug alters mood in different ways, depending on how it is taken. Immediately after smoking or injecting the user experiences an intense rush similar to that produced by crack cocaine but longer lasting. Even small amounts of methamphetamine can produce euphoria, arousal, wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite and increased respiration. Common side effects include nausea, panic attacks, compulsive repetitive behaviour and jaw clenching. |
Other Effects |
It can cause psychiatric problems with symptoms resembling those associated with paranoid schizophrenia, such as paranoia and hallucinations. Methamphetamine induced psychosis can result in homicidal or suicidal thoughts. It is also associated with violent and aggressive behaviour and with acquisitive crime. [10] Heavy and regular users of the drug may suffer tooth loss and decay, a condition known as 'meth mouth'. There is some scientific debate as to whether this is a direct effect of methamphetamine, a result of the route of administration or other behavioural issues. However, dentists are observing increased incidence of decay and tooth erosion among patients who are methamphetamine users. [12] In the US, concerns have been raised about a link between the use of methamphetamine by gay men. Drug users who inject the drug are at risk of infection from HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B if they share needles and other injecting paraphernalia. The biggest risk from this is an increased chance of HIV infection through unprotected and uninhibited sex while under the influence of meth. Smoking ice results in body temperature rises and rapid cardiac and respiratory rates developing as the blood pressure increases. The drug can lead to hallucinations, paranoia and bizarre, aggressive and psychotic behaviour . Overuse can bring on short-term memory loss, wild rages and mood swings as well as damage to the immune system. |
Dependence and Tolerance |
Regular use of methamphetamine can lead to dependency, with increased tolerance to the effects of the drug and physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can include depression, anxiety and craving for the drug. Some studies have linked reduced motor skills with methamphetamine use, which may be indicative of a predisposition towards Parkinson's disease for users of the drug. |
Legality |
Because methamphetamine has no medical use in the UK, there is no legitimate reason for its possession. In 2006 the Government's independent advisory body, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), recommended that methamphetamine be reclassified from a Class B to a Class A drug. The reclassification came into force on 18th January 2007. The ACMD also recommended that further steps be taken to limit the availability of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture the drug. Amphetamine ('speed') remains a Class B drug but if any amphetamine type drug is prepared for injection it becomes a Class A drug. |
| History | Methamphetamine was first synthesized in 1887, but went unnoticed until it became the alternative to ephedrine, a drug commonly used to treat asthma. [1] Medically produced amphetamines (including methamphetamine) were used in Japan, Britain, Germany and the US during the Second World War to enable soldiers to stay awake, alert and compulsively focussed. As a consequence of the return home of soldiers who had been using it regularly and a simultaneous flood into the local market of methamphetamine, Japan suffered a meth epidemic after the War (1945-1957). [2] From 1942, the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler received daily injections of methamphetamine from his personal physician, Dr Theodor Morell. [3] Amphetamines were used for medicinal purposes in the UK until the late 1960's. The sale of methamphetamine products from retail pharmacists was banned in the UK in 1968. In the USA the drug is available in pharmaceutical form for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. |
| Prevalence | Methamphetamine use and its spread is of concern in several countries, particularly in South East Asia (Thailand and Japan), the USA, Australia and the Czech Republic. It is relatively uncommon in the UK although the drug's widespread use abroad and its appearance on the UK dance scene have led to fears of it becoming more popular.
There is little evidence of methamphetamine manufacture or importation into the UK but there are reports that the drug is used on the dance scene and within the gay community - a national survey funded by the Terence Higgins Trust showed that in 2005 less than 3% of gay men in the UK had used the drug in the last year (over 6% in London). [4] In December 2006 three men were the first to be convicted in the UK for the manufacture of methamphetamine [5] The drug is relatively cheap and easy to manufacture although methods may involve inflammable chemicals and the release of toxic fumes. The chemicals needed to manufacture the drug (e.g., ephedrine, red phosphorous and iodine) are readily available. A record number of methamphetamine factories were seized globally in 2002, the largest number being in the United States. Levels of use and the number of seizures of methamphetamine factories have fallen in the USA in recent years. [6] |
