Part A - Society for Public Health Education

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Helping Communities CombatClandestine Methamphetamine LaboratoriesPart A: An Educational Toolkit for Health EducatorsPrimer on Methamphetamine andClandestine MethamphetamineLaboratoriesThis primer provides a condensed version of the information on methamphetamine(“meth”) and clandestine methamphetamine laboratories (“meth labs”)that is available from an overwhelming number of sources and locations. We hopethat this information will help you and your community to become better informedabout this national public health problem.What Is Methamphetamine?© 2007 Society for Public Health EducationMethamphetamine is an illegal, highly addictive central nervous system stimulant.The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has classified it as a scheduleII stimulant, which means that it has a high potential for abuse and is availableonly through a single-use prescription. The medical uses for methamphetamine arelimited and include treating narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, and for shorttermuse to cure obesity. The doses for medical use are much lower than the dosestypically abused.The color and texture of methamphetamine can vary. It is usually white, slightlyyellow, or even brown, depending on the purity. The drug is a bitter-tasting, odorless,crystal-like powdered substance that sometimes comes in large rock-likechunks. When the powder flakes off the rock, the shards look like glass. Methamphetaminecan also be clear, chunky crystals (called crystal methamphetamine) orin the form of small, brightly colored tablets.There are many street names for methamphetamine, varying by location in theUnited States. Some of these names are “tina,” “speed,” “rock,” and “chalk.” In itsPart A: An Educational Toolkit for Health Educators
smoked form, it is often called “ice,” “crystal,” “crank,” and “glass” (Office of NationalDrug Control Policy [ONDCP], 2006b).How Is Methamphetamine Abused?Methamphetamine can be injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested orally. The preferredmethod of methamphetamine abuse can vary by geographical region andchange over time. People abuse the drug for its euphoric effects. Methamphetamineusers have reported feeling energetic and powerful, but a “crash” inevitably followsthe “high.” To avoid the crash, users take more methamphetamine. Tolerance developsrapidly, leading to addiction in a relatively short time.Who Uses Methamphetamine?Individuals from a variety of age groups, lifestyles, and neighborhoods use methamphetamine.Users range from curious teens, college students attracted by the drug’sreputation for increasing energy and sexuality, truck drivers and shift workers whouse the drug to keep alert for extended periods, and girls and women who view it asa way to lose weight.Data from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show• In 2005, an estimated 1.3 million persons aged 12 or older had used methamphetaminein the past year; an estimated 556,000 of these were femaleand 741,000 male.• In 2005, the rates for past-year use of methamphetamine were 0.7% for usersage 12–17, 1.5% for users age 18–25, and 0.3% of users age 26 and older.• Combined data from 2002 to 2005 indicate that persons in the West (1.2%)were more likely to have used methamphetamine in the past year thanpersons in the Midwest (0.5%), South (0.5%), and Northeast (0.1%); thesefindings were consistent for both females and males.• Combined data from 2002 to 2005 indicate that persons in large metropolitanareas (0.5%) were less likely to have used methamphetamine in thepast year than persons in small metropolitan (0.7%) and nonmetropolitanareas (0.8%) (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration[SAMHSA], 2007).© 2007 Society for Public Health EducationHelping Communities Combat Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratories
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Page 11 and 12: in the performance of the three cor
Page 13: variety of groups about meth and it
Page 17 and 18: a few minutes. (Snorting or swallow
Page 19 and 20: the brain) and has longer lasting a
Page 21 and 22: Some of the ingredients and equipme
Page 23 and 24: the impact of methamphetamine precu
Page 25 and 26: SummaryMethamphetamine is a man-mad
Page 27 and 28: Information SheetHelping Communitie
Page 29 and 30: Key Information Relevant to Propert
Page 31 and 32: Signs of a Meth Lab• Residence or
Page 33 and 34: The Cleanup ProcessProperty owners,
Page 35 and 36: • El Paso Intelligence Center Nat
Page 37 and 38: • Support and participate in thei
Page 39 and 40: For additional, more detailed infor
Page 41 and 42: ment officers assume additional res
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Page 45 and 46: prevent inhalation of hazardous che
Page 49 and 50: Children exposed to meth labs may d
Page 53 and 54: isks. Poisonous vapors produced dur
Page 55 and 56: • body odor of chemicals• cloth
Page 59 and 60: Signs and symptoms of a meth user i
Page 61 and 62: How Retailers and Other Community M
Page 63 and 64: Create a Community CoalitionNote: W
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• Identify existing and potential
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their lives and what they would lik
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Phase 3: Running the MeetingIf you
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• Use humor. Humor may ease tensi
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the ingredients to make meth are so
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• Once members of the coalition h
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2. Develop the right contacts.Ident
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You can mail, fax, or email press r
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Strategies and EventsThe following
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• A teen-oriented DVD (approximat
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Summary/Wrap-Up (15 minutes)• Ope
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Helping Communities CombatClandesti
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Methamphetamine Statistics and Tren
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This book is available from Hazelde
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Methamphetamine Treatment Programs
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A Web site dedicated to providing d
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The Montana Meth Project is a large
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Building Coalitions Against Methamp
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This tool kit provides the basics o
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Considering your work responsibilit
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Since receiving and reviewing this
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In what setting(s) do you work? (Ch
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