NCJ Number
166559
Journal
Illinois State Police 10-43 Magazine Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 9-10
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Methamphetamine manufacturing, distribution, and use and their implications for law enforcement personnel are explained.
Abstract
The number of deaths related to methamphetamine increased by 145 percent from 1992 to 1994. Methamphetamine is one of the many amphetamine-type compounds synthesized since the early 1900's. It is also known as crank, crystal, snow, speed, and chris. It is the most common amphetamine in illicit use. Legal uses include the treatment of narcolepsy and some childhood attention and learning disorders. The most common form on the illegal market is a powder that is snorted, melted for injection, or smoked. Its effects vary with the individual and the extent of use. Outlaw motorcycle gangs and their associates, maverick chemists, and trafficking from Mexico are the main sources. The cheap price of methamphetamine and its precursors makes it attractive to drug dealers. Dozens of recipes have been published. The space for making it can be an apartment kitchen. A police officer who discovers a meth lab will usually see laboratory glassware, a heating device, the odor of the chemicals, storage containers, and a written description of the chemical process. The meth lab can be deadly due to the chemicals involved. The best action is usually to secure the area and seek assistance from competent laboratory dismantlers from the Drug Enforcement Administration and hazardous material units. List of chemicals used