Methamphetamine

Medical and Social Costs

In terms of how methamphetamine is a societal problem, many indicators exist. For example, according to the National Association of Counties, 40% of out-of-home placements of children were due to methamphetamine in 2005 alone. Between 2000 and 2005, law enforcement seizures by federal or state officials of methamphetamine manufacturing laboratories affected more than 15,000 children; nearly 4,000 children were exposed to chemical toxins, and 8 children died in connection with these laboratories. During the same year, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy attributed nearly 11,000 drug-related emergency room visits to methamphetamine. The medical costs associated with methamphetamine are staggering as well. Not only is methamphetamine a health issue for people never caught, it is a financial and resource drain for those convicted of methamphetamine-related charges. One example of the health issues for those convicted is that methamphetamine use impacts the health of the teeth and gums; this has been a serious issue for departments of correction across the United States in that increased medical resources have been needed to address an issue that began prior to incarceration.

Demographics

The reason that methamphetamine use has increased, or become mainstream, has to do with the ease of obtaining the needed materials to manufacture the drug. Several processes exist; the simplest one, ephedrine/red phosphorus methamphetamine, uses either ephedrine or pseudoephedrine as a precursor (i.e., an ingredient needed to create something else). An increasing issue for [Page 514]pharmacies nationwide is the fact that criminals wanting to manufacture methamphetamine attempt to purchase cold medications containing pseudoephedrine. This problem for pharmacies is so extreme that many states have resorted to requiring identification to purchase these over-the-counter medications and limiting the amount that can be purchased. In response to this policy, criminals have resorted to hijacking chemical trucks carrying pseudoephedrine in order to have direct access for manufacturing. With this relative ease of access, the United States has a three-tiered methamphetamine problem. The first tier (i.e., most serious) exists in the western portion of the United States and tapers off around the Rocky Mountains. The second tier (i.e., midrange seriousness) exists in the eastern portion of the United States and tapers off around the Smoky Mountains. The third tier (i.e., lowest level of seriousness) is what some call “Middle America.” According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, the spread of methamphetamine manufacturing and use has also affected some states unusually, meaning that they are in the third tier area yet have a methamphetamine problem at the same level as either the first or second tier; Arkansas is one such state. It is important to note that in the late 1980s, Congress adopted the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988 (CDTA). This act was the first attempt to promote chemical company accountability to public safety officials with respect to record keeping and security of chemicals in order to reduce the diversion (i.e., illegal transfer) of said chemicals outside of what is allowed by law for legitimate purposes.

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