Meth

[marlasmom]

I am running into lots of people who are addicted to meth and I know nothing about it. Can you give me the correct spelling (I believe it starts with "A") so I can goggle it and if you can explain anything about it I would appreciate it. Thank you.

 

[JimB.]

"Methamphetamine"

 

[Tantor]

crystal meth
(crystal methamphetamine, tina, crystal meths, krank, tweak, ice)

Very scary stuff..........................

 

[marlasmom]

Thanks. I googled "meth" while I was waiting and got lots of info. I am now wondering if the stench I thought was cat urine at someone's house was really meth. The smell was so strong and so nauseating that I had to leave before I finished my business. When I got home I had to take a shower and completely change my clothes to get rid of the odor. From what I read it's very scary stuff indeed.

 

[Twinkles6892]

It was on CSI once, and there was an article about it in 17. Apparently to take household products (like cleaning products) and boil them, and then they harden and you can turn it into powder.

 

[mum4jenn]

Not sure why you are coming into contact with those kind of people but if you suspect it then you should leave immediately as it is highly flamable and contact the police. A couple of years ago the police found a car the had a meth lab in the trunk and they cleared the area for blocks surrounding the car. If it should blow it is like a bomb going off. I don't know if I have been around people that are on it or not. Judging from pictures I have seen I probably have seen meth people but I really basically go to work and go home so I don't go visiting. It is very bad stuff. I would contact the police to get more info if possible. If it is your job to be in these homes you really need to get very educated on the smells and what could happen if you inhale the smells. If you think it is being cooked in those homes you do not need to be there at all!!!!

 

[FroggyinArk]

just a week ago a lab exploded near us..

http://208.62.60.4/82/article_11.shtml

 

[Bob NC]

Where are you hanging out?

 

[Kimberly]

"Poor man's crack"

This is some very scary stuff.

From the US Department of Justice Website:

Crystal methamphetamine is a colorless, odorless form of d-methamphetamine, a powerful and highly addictive synthetic (man-made) stimulant. Crystal methamphetamine typically resembles small fragments of glass or shiny blue-white "rocks" of various sizes. Like powdered methamphetamine (another form of d-methamphetamine), crystal methamphetamine is abused because of the long-lasting euphoric effects it produces. Crystal methamphetamine, however, typically has a higher purity level and may produce even longer-lasting and more intense physiological effects than the powdered form of the drug.

Crystal methamphetamine typically is smoked using glass pipes similar to pipes used to smoke crack cocaine. Crystal methamphetamine also may be injected. A user who smokes or injects the drug immediately experiences an intense sensation followed by a high that may last 12 hours or more.

Crystal methamphetamine is used by individuals of all ages and is increasingly gaining in popularity as a club drug. It is difficult to determine how many individuals in the United States use crystal methamphetamine because most illicit drug use surveys do not distinguish between crystal methamphetamine and powdered methamphetamine. Those surveys that do draw such a distinction reveal that use of crystal methamphetamine is prevalent. According to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey, nearly 5 percent of high school seniors in the United States used crystal methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime and 3 percent used the drug in the past year.

Crystal methamphetamine use is associated with numerous serious physical problems. The drug can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, and damage to the small blood vessels in the brain--which can lead to stroke. Chronic use of the drug can result in inflammation of the heart lining. Overdoses can cause hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), convulsions, and death.

Individuals who use crystal methamphetamine also may have episodes of violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. The drug can produce psychotic symptoms that persist for months or years after an individual has stopped using the drug.

Crystal methamphetamine users who inject the drug expose themselves to additional risks, including contracting HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, and other blood-borne viruses. Chronic users who inject methamphetamine also risk scarred or collapsed veins, infections of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and liver or kidney disease.

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs5/5049/#What

 

[marlasmom]

I am really not hanging out in meth labs. Without divulging confidential information, some of the parents of my GAL kids are users of meth and that's why the children have been "sheltered." I ran into that smell twice (same house) and I thought it was cat urine. Now I wonder.

Thanks for the info. I did not know it was explosive. I didn't even know about the smell until I read about it today.

 

[Kimberly]

Have your kids stay away from it, at all costs. This is not a drug to be toyed with, and is arguably even more addictive than cocaine because of it's long-lasting effects.

 

[Keli]

Whoa, meth will really mess people up FAST!!! I live in a little town and there's people here that have gotten on meth and a year later you almost wouldn't recognize them. They'll look really sickly, be very skinny when they weren't before, and have lost a lot of teeth. It's horrible how quickly they destroy their bodies with this drug.

 

[kaabost]

I will agree with previous posters. Report the smell. If it turns out to be cat urine, at least the landlord will do something about it (hopefully). If it is a meth lab you are in serious danger. Imagine som likely jacked up moron next door playing with explosives (so to speak). Ironically, I woke up to the news last week showing my apartment complex. A neighbor had reported some odd smells and the problem was investigated. It turns out, the was a meth lab next door and that entire side of our apartment complex was evacuated (not my side). Luckily, they found the idiot owner of the lab and he was arrested. Not that it really makes a difference, but these apartments are pretty nice and they are in an area of town where crime is pretty low. So, even if you live in a presumably safe area, don't assume that these things aren't there. In fact, I'd leave the until someone DOES come to check it out. It just isn't worth the risk.

 

[Sparx]

Meth is really big around here. We are called the meth capital of the south or something like that. Did you find the information you were looking for?

 

[dcgrumpy]

Wouldn't you notice if there was a meth lab set up in the kitchen?

 

[Kimberly]

Wouldn't you notice if there was a meth lab set up in the kitchen?

Not necessarily. It's very easy to make and just requires the most basic glassware...

It really is scary just how easy it is to make this stuff.

 

[arminnie]

Ditto everything that has been said about crystal meth. It is truly a horrible drug.

My cousin's ex-wife got addicted to meth. She was a lovely young woman with a great personality. We all just loved her to death (still care about her a lot) with two beautiful children.

After her parents died very young she got involved with a guy who was into meth. She became addicted. She had always been a little on the chunky side. She lost so much weight - she weighed under 90 pounds.

She and the boyfriend were cooking meth in the kitchen with the kids (small) locked in their room. She lost custody of the kids. Her own sisters went to court to testify against her.

I think she is clean now. I saw her a year ago and she looked okay, but she is still only allowed 2-3 hours of supervised visitation with her children.

She went through a considerable inheritance from her parents, lost her kids, and basically really, really screwed up her life. She is lucky to be alive and not in jail.

It's really so sad. I hope she can stay clean and make something of her life. She really was a wonderful person before she got involved with crystal meth.

 

[Rutt and Tuke]

Not sure why you are coming into contact with those kind of people !

Meth is a drug that seems to have crossed all social and economic groups. Here Sudafed will be becoming a prescriptionn drug soon. Fortunately Sudafed has come out with Sudafed PE which doesn't have the pseudoephidrine that is used to make meth.

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

Lots of Sudafed lying around would be a big clue...

Also, like people before said, look for the teeth, a smell on the person almost like body odor (it's almost like deodorant doesn't work for them anymore), a poor complexion, sunken face.

Someone on meth can act very hyper, agitated, paranoid, irritable, or even euphoric. Very up and down. Know that from personal experience, unfortunately...

 

[foxfire]

It's a big problem in this area. In fact, all cold and allergy products containing ingredients that can be used to maufacture meth are no longer on store shelves. They are all "behind the counter" now. You have to ask for the product and sign each time you buy some. Your name, address, and phone number are required for a purchase.