Timothy Knopick
Professor Pamela Peters
HUS 1400: Alcoholism & Other Drug Abuse
Methamphetamine
I choose Methamphetamine as my topic for discussion. The reason I choose it is a two part answer. The first reason is I want to learn more about the drug, the side effects, and the precursors needed to manufacture it. The second reason is I work in law enforcement and would like get a better understanding of the reasons why people become addicted. In hopes of gaining a better understanding so I could try to help the subjects I come across while working.
Methamphetamine first came about in a form known as Amphetamine and later morphed into the drug we now know as meth. Amphetamine was created in a lab in 1887 by a Romanian chemist Lazar Edleanu at the University of Berlin. The drug was not used medically until Gordon Alles began to use the drug to treat asthma and colds in the 20’s. The drug became popular all over the world for treating allergy, asthma, and cold type symptoms.
The actual first usage of Methamphetamine was by the Japanese in 1893. Most of the world’s military forces used Methamphetamine during World War II to enhance endurance and alertness of the troops. The drug has been used by almost every profession that alertness and fatigue play factors in. Long distance truckers use the drug to be able to stay awake during the long runs required. College students used the drug to help cram for exams. Athletes use the drug to help fight of fatigue during competitions. (methoide.fem.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=164) The drug is legal in some forms but illegal in others. …show more content…
Some ADHD and ADD medications, such as Ritalin is a form of Methamphetamine. However the most widely abused form is powder or crystal like pieces. The abused form of Methamphetamine, crystal meth, can be created by two widely different styles. The first is what is called the one pot or shake and bake method. The ingredients (for the purposes of this paper they will not be listed) which contain mostly poisons and corrosive liquids are mixed together in a single container. This methods yields only a small amount of the drug, usually only approximately 1-3 grams. The one pot method is extremely dangerous for the person making the drug known as the ‘cook’ (, http://youtu.be/FTGm43yYpTQ). The second is in controlled laboratories known as ‘super labs’ which produces the drug hundreds of pounds at a time but is usually safer for the ‘cook’. Methamphetamine has been used historically to gain alertness is the users. Japan gave the drug to its kamikaze pilots during WWII to ‘enhance’ their fighting ability. It is used to treat ADHD and ADD as an ingredient in medications. However it has come under fire for it creating other behavior problems in the children. Methamphetamine is highly addictive. The effects of Methamphetamine can be seen in as little as one to two months. It can also cause severe tooth and gum decay. Abusers experience a rush of endorphins which causes a euphoric high. The effects can last for up to 24-48 hours which the subject is in a constant state of alertness. The abusers could experience feeling twitchy, hallucinate, feeling of agitation, and weight loss as well as a long list of other ailments. Usage of an extended period of time could cause severe deformities. “I bent over and inhaled one of the lines through a straw, and right away I could tell this was going to be a much more intense experience than the one I’d bargained for. My eyes immediately began to water. The pain in my right nostril was excruciating. My sinuses felt like a kitchen drain down which someone had just poured a pint of bleach.” (No Speed Limit: The Highs and Lows of Meth P.2) Methamphetamine is currently listed as a schedule 2 drug with some known medical uses, a high potential for abuse. The street forms of methamphetamine (meth, glass, speed, crank, ice, etc.) have begun to make a comeback in the area due to the crack down on prescription availability of narcotic pain pills such as oxycodone. During the pill craze a single oxycotin 30mg, street name ‘blues’, could be purchased for as little as $5-10 a pill. Know due to recent restrictions placed on prescribing doctors by the FDA
Professor Pamela Peters
HUS 1400: Alcoholism & Other Drug Abuse
Methamphetamine
I choose Methamphetamine as my topic for discussion. The reason I choose it is a two part answer. The first reason is I want to learn more about the drug, the side effects, and the precursors needed to manufacture it. The second reason is I work in law enforcement and would like get a better understanding of the reasons why people become addicted. In hopes of gaining a better understanding so I could try to help the subjects I come across while working.
Methamphetamine first came about in a form known as Amphetamine and later morphed into the drug we now know as meth. Amphetamine was created in a lab in 1887 by a Romanian chemist Lazar Edleanu at the University of Berlin. The drug was not used medically until Gordon Alles began to use the drug to treat asthma and colds in the 20’s. The drug became popular all over the world for treating allergy, asthma, and cold type symptoms.
The actual first usage of Methamphetamine was by the Japanese in 1893. Most of the world’s military forces used Methamphetamine during World War II to enhance endurance and alertness of the troops. The drug has been used by almost every profession that alertness and fatigue play factors in. Long distance truckers use the drug to be able to stay awake during the long runs required. College students used the drug to help cram for exams. Athletes use the drug to help fight of fatigue during competitions. (methoide.fem.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=164) The drug is legal in some forms but illegal in others. …show more content…
Some ADHD and ADD medications, such as Ritalin is a form of Methamphetamine. However the most widely abused form is powder or crystal like pieces. The abused form of Methamphetamine, crystal meth, can be created by two widely different styles. The first is what is called the one pot or shake and bake method. The ingredients (for the purposes of this paper they will not be listed) which contain mostly poisons and corrosive liquids are mixed together in a single container. This methods yields only a small amount of the drug, usually only approximately 1-3 grams. The one pot method is extremely dangerous for the person making the drug known as the ‘cook’ (, http://youtu.be/FTGm43yYpTQ). The second is in controlled laboratories known as ‘super labs’ which produces the drug hundreds of pounds at a time but is usually safer for the ‘cook’. Methamphetamine has been used historically to gain alertness is the users. Japan gave the drug to its kamikaze pilots during WWII to ‘enhance’ their fighting ability. It is used to treat ADHD and ADD as an ingredient in medications. However it has come under fire for it creating other behavior problems in the children. Methamphetamine is highly addictive. The effects of Methamphetamine can be seen in as little as one to two months. It can also cause severe tooth and gum decay. Abusers experience a rush of endorphins which causes a euphoric high. The effects can last for up to 24-48 hours which the subject is in a constant state of alertness. The abusers could experience feeling twitchy, hallucinate, feeling of agitation, and weight loss as well as a long list of other ailments. Usage of an extended period of time could cause severe deformities. “I bent over and inhaled one of the lines through a straw, and right away I could tell this was going to be a much more intense experience than the one I’d bargained for. My eyes immediately began to water. The pain in my right nostril was excruciating. My sinuses felt like a kitchen drain down which someone had just poured a pint of bleach.” (No Speed Limit: The Highs and Lows of Meth P.2) Methamphetamine is currently listed as a schedule 2 drug with some known medical uses, a high potential for abuse. The street forms of methamphetamine (meth, glass, speed, crank, ice, etc.) have begun to make a comeback in the area due to the crack down on prescription availability of narcotic pain pills such as oxycodone. During the pill craze a single oxycotin 30mg, street name ‘blues’, could be purchased for as little as $5-10 a pill. Know due to recent restrictions placed on prescribing doctors by the FDA