Meth: The Endless Maze of Self-Destruction

Meth: The Endless Maze of Self-Destruction

Drema Stevens

Overview

Methamphetamine is synthetic psychoactive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Which most of the methamphetamine used in this country comes from foreign or domestic superlabs, but the drug is also easily made in small clandestine laboratories,chemistry carried out in secret, with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. These factors combine to make methamphetamine a drug with high potential for widespread abuse.

Origin

Meth First synthesized by Lazar Edeleanu (a.k.a. Edeleanoin) in 1887 and then re-synthesized in the 1920s for use in medical settings to treat asthma, hayfever, and colds. In 1932, French Laboratories marketed the first amphetamine product, an amphetamine-based inhaler (trade name, Benzedrine) to treat nasal congestion. By 1959, the FDA banned amphetamine-based inhalers due to increases in their abuse.

A Chemical Concoction

Most of Meth’s key ingredients are toxic and highly flammable and are very easily accessible. Although the “recipes” vary, here are the most commonly used ingredients: Acetone, Lithium, Toluene, Hydrochloric acid, Pseudoephedrine, Red Phosphorus, Sodium Hydroxide, Sulfuric Acid, Anhydrous Ammonia.

Names for Methamphetamine & Consumption

There are hundreds of names for this life destroying drug, such as: Crank, Crystal, Crystal Glass, Crystal Meth, Meth, Christina, Tina, Cris, Cristy, Tweak, Ice, Speed, Geep, Geeter, Getgo, Go FastPoor Man’s Coke, Redneck Cocaine, Working Man’s Cocaine, Yellow Bam, Quick Trash, Garbage, Wash, Stove top, Yaba. The list goes on, but there are also many different ways to “consume” this drug also, such as being: smoked, snorted, injected, and/or swallowed.

The High & “Chasing the High”

Methamphetamine is a dopamine (Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control movement,