NCJ Number
189426
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: 2000 Pages: 423-433
Date Published
2000
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper profiles methamphetamine's physical and psychological effects, its supply and demand in the 1990's, and economic and cultural factors involved in its popularity.
Abstract
The use of methamphetamine, a potent central nervous system stimulant, increased in the early- to mid-1990's in the United States, concentrated in the west, midwest, and south. The use and trade of methamphetamine was facilitated by a simple production process and the involvement of numerous small entrepreneurs, as well as drug-trafficking syndicates. National data from the 1994 Drug Abuse Warning Network revealed that for the period from 1991 to 1994, methamphetamine use among short-stay hospital patients more than tripled, and methamphetamine-related deaths reported by medical examiner offices nearly tripled. In addition, the Treatment Episode Data Set showed a 43-percent increase in treatment-program admissions in which clients identified methamphetamine as the primary drug of abuse. Nonetheless, methamphetamine use did not become widespread in the U.S. population. Low-income and unemployed young white men continued to be the group most likely to use methamphetamine, but by the mid-1990's, the drug had increased in popularity in more diverse populations and regions. Economic and social pressures experienced by a broad array of Americans may partially explain expanded methampetamine use; for example, depressed economic conditions in rural and semi-rural areas have contributed to methamphetamine's appeal as a source of income. A "war against drugs" approach has characterized the policy response, with increased criminal justice penalties. A public health approach is recommended, including prevention campaigns, harm-reduction outreach, and treatment approaches that include pharmacological and abstinence-based treatment approaches. 23 references