This document provides an overview of methamphetamine (meth) including its history, production, effects on health, and status as a public health issue. It was originally developed in the late 1800s but gained popularity as an alternative to ephedrine during WWII when it was given to soldiers to increase alertness. Today it is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that can be smoked, injected, or swallowed. Long term use leads to many health issues and it is considered a major public health concern globally due to its widespread abuse and association with organized crime.

1. METHAMPHETAMINE
(METHYLAMPHETAMINE )
AN INTRODUCTION INTO TOXINS AND THE
HEALTH OF THE PUBLIC
FdSc Health and Society Level 4
IM4010 PUBLIC HEALTH AND DISEASE
PRESENTATION

2. METHAMPHETAMINE :
•Man-made,
powerful and highly addictive stimulant
that affects the central nervous system
•meth,
chalk, ice, and crystal
first synthesized in 1893 by Nagayoshi NagaI, but
went unnoticed until it became the alternative to
ephedrine, a drug commonly used to treat asthma
•
•used
in Japan, Britain, Germany and the US during
the WWII to enable soldiers to stay awake, alert and
compulsively focussed. (Drugscope, 2007).

3. In the US, approved by FDA in treating:
Distributed to German troops during WW II to •ADHD
create super soldier machines. The "power •exogenous obesity
drugs" reduced fatigue and empathy, and •narcolepsy
• treatment-resistant depression
increased aggression.
(U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2013)
Pervitin (photo from www.timeprints.de)
Desoxyn ( photo from U.S. FDA website)

4. Crystal/rock form
Pill and powder form
PHOTOS FROM WWW.JUSTICE.GOV
METHAMPHETAMINE CAN BE INJECTED, SMOKED, SWALLOWED OR SNORTED.

5. WHAT IS METH MADE
FROM?
ACETONE – found in nail polish remover
LITHIUM – used in batteries
(photo from www.justice.gov)
TOLUENE – used in brake fluid
HYDROCHLORIC ACID – used to make plastic
PSEUDOEPHEDRINE – found in cold medicines
RED PHOSPHORUS – found in matchboxes
SODIUM HYDROXIDE – lye, used to dispose of road kill and more…..

6. IS METHAMPHETAMINE A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN?
•Methamphetamine
•Longer-lasting
•Drug
is stronger than amphetamine.
and more harmful effects on the central nervous system.
with high potential for widespread abuse (NIH, 2013).
stimulants (ATS) such as "ecstasy" and methamphetamine now rank as the world's
second most widely abused drug type after cannabis.
•Amphetamine-type
•Expansion
of such illegal trade pose an increasing threat to health worldwide
profits linked to the trade, fuel a rise in organized crime (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
2011).
•High
each pound of meth produced, 5-6 pounds of highly toxic waste is generated (U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 2008).
•For
rising number of cases of methamphetamine-induced psychosis is presenting a challenge to medical
practitioners from a diagnosis and treatment perspective
•The

7. IS METHAMPHETAMINE A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN?
•
There is no typical methamphetamine user. The drug is used by people of different
ages and races, in all parts of the world, and for different reasons
•
Meth has seen rapid growth in popularity because it is relatively easy to make and
carries a low street price
•
Persons in and around meth laboratories can be acutely exposed to hazardous
substances used in meth production. Some of the ingredients used to make
methamphetamine are highly explosive
•
Methamphetamine use increases risk of acquiring HIV and other STDs

8. THE EFFECT ON HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
Short-term effects may include:
Long-term effects may include:


Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature

Liver, kidney and lung damage

Destruction of tissues in nose if sniffed

Breathing problems if smoked

Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected

Malnutrition, weight loss

Severe tooth decay

Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion

Strong psychological dependence

Psychosis

Depression

Damage to the brain similar to Alzheimer’s
disease, stroke and epilepsy
Loss of appetite

Permanent damage to blood vessels of
heart and brain, high blood pressure leading
to heart attacks, strokes and death

Dilation of pupils

Disturbed sleep patterns

Nausea

Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behaviour

Hallucinations and irritability

Panic and psychosis

Convulsions, seizures and death from high
doses

9. HOW METH CAN DAMAGE YOUR
MOUTH ?
(METH MOUTH)
(PHOTO FROM WWW.JUSTICE.GOV)
•
BAD DIET
•
LACK OF SALIVA
•
DECREASED BLOOD FLOW
•
TOOTH GRINDING AND CLENCHING
•
BAD HYGIENE

10. FORMICATION (CRANK
BUGS)
Meth users are certain than there are
insects crawling under their skin.
Formication, essentially a tactile
hallucination, is an abnormal skin
sensation similar to that of insects
crawling over or within the skin, (From
the Latin ‘formicare’ meaning to creep
like an ant) (METH PROJECT, 2005).
(Photo from www.justice.gov)

11. Photo from http://narcotic.net

12. BEFORE AND AFTER
(PHOTOS FROM WWW.DRUGFREEWORLD.ORG)

13. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL
TRENDS
The UNODC estimated the
worldwide production of
amphetamine-type
stimulants, which includes
methamphetamine, at nearly
500 metric tons a year, with
24.7 million abusers (United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
2011).

14. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TREND - WORLDWIDE

15. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TREND - WORLDWIDE
•
There is also growing evidence to suggest that criminal organizations involved in
smuggling ATS, particularly methamphetamine, exploit West Africa in a similar way to
cocaine traffickers. Seizures of methamphetamine from West Africa started to
increase in 2008; the substance was being smuggled into East Asian countries,
predominantly Japan and the Republic of Korea (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ,
2012)

16. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL
TREND WORLDWIDE
North Korea has been mentioned as
a country with high prevalence of
methamphetamine use. Within the
secretive state, there appears to be
an epidemic of crystal meth so
widespread that, in some
communities, more than 50 per cent
of people are users, according the
North Korea Review journal.(Photo from
www.standardmedia.co.ke)

17. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TREND – USA/ EUROPE


In UK methamphetamine is not so
popular, but around 15.6% of adults
had ever taken a Class A drug in
their lifetime (five million people!)
(GOV.UK, 2012)

Methamphetamine is not common on
the Isle of Man
In the United States, the percentage
States
of drug treatment admissions due to
methamphetamine and
amphetamine abuse tripled from 3%
in 1996 to 9% in 2006.The number of
persons with substance dependence
or abuse was stable between 2002
( 22 mil)and 2010(22.1 mil).

In Europe, the highest prevalence of
methamphetamine is in the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic,
Republic
although many other countries
sporadically report its availability, use
or seizure. The Czech Republic,
Sweden, Finland, Slovakia and Latvia
reported amphetamines and
methamphetamine as accounting for
between 20% and 60% of those seeking
drug abuse treatments (EMCDDA/ Europol,
2009).

18. ORGANISATIONS/AGENCIES

19. HOW DOES IT AFFECT SOCIETY?

20. FAMOUS PEOPLE AND
METHAMPHETAMINE :
•
Robert Downey Jr (arrested for
possession of cocaine and meth in
2000)
•
Marilyn Monroe (treated by celebrity
doctor Max "Dr. Feelgood"
Jacobson' with ‘formula’ made of
animal blood and
methamphetamines)
•
Adolf Hitler (From 1942 received
daily injections of
methamphetamine from his
personal physician, Dr Theodor
Morell)
•
J F Kennedy ( Dr Feelgood’s shots of
formula supposedly helped cure his
migraines, chronic back pain, and
lack of stamina)
•
Amy Winehouse ( known for her
meth, heroine, and cocaine binges)
•
Britney Spears (Lufti, Spears' "life
coach," says meth is to blame for
the singer's 2007 meltdown )

21. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Drugscope. (2007, January). Drug Information Methamphetamine. Retrieved from Drugscope:
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/resources/drugsearch/drugsearchpages/methamphetamine

EMCDDA/ Europol. (2009). Methamphetamine - A European Union perspective in the global context . Luxembourg: Office for
Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009.

GOV.UK. (2012, 09 27). National Statistics. Retrieved from GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-misusedeclared-findings-from-the-2011-to-2012-crime-survey-for-england-and-wales-csew-second-edition

METH PROJECT. (2005). GET ANSWERS. Retrieved from METHPROJECT.ORG: http://www.methproject.org/

Narconon.org. (n.d.). Drug Information -Methamphetamine FAQ. Retrieved 01 06, 2014, from Narconon International:
http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/FAQ-methamphetamine.html

NIH. (2013, September). Methamphetamine : Abuse and Addiction. Retrieved from National Institute on Drug Abuse:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine-abuse-addiction/what-methamphetamine

U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). Multi-Media Library-Methamphetamine. Retrieved 01 06, 2014, from US DEA:
http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/image-gallery/images_methamphetamine.shtml

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2008, 09 26). Waste Identification. Retrieved from U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency : http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/wasteid/downloads/rtc-meth.pdf

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2013, October). FDA DRUGS. Retrieved from FDA.gov:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm088582.pdf

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . (2012). World Drug Report . Vienna: United Nations .

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2011). 2011 Global ATS Assessment. Vienna: United Nations Publication .